Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

32 human years ago Krypton was ripped to shreds by a blackhole. There’s nothing more to it. On a planet with a red sun there was nowhere for any of the people to go, and nothing that could be done, everybody died weak. Like humans bleeding red.

Despite being colonisers, every single one of her people were brought back to her home planet to die like worms. It wasn’t her fault, it wasn’t her parents’ fault, this was completely out of their family’s control.

At least that’s what Kara’s being telling herself to try and fall asleep.

In her heart she knows what tore Krypton apart wasn’t the world ending event but rather what tears apart all communities, the people. There was a prophecy bringing about the destruction of Krypton and the King and Queen did nothing.

There was a prophecy and on the day of their doom the royal family threw a species mandatory party for the future queen. There was a prophecy, and every controlling advisor and military official didn’t fix anything, didn’t relocate, didn’t find a solution.

No everybody on Krypton was greedy, it was not completely Kara’s fault.

It’s hard to remind the true sole survivor of Krypton of that when she’s lying awake in bed before the start of her new workday, her only true companions in this world being her cat and dog she was brought down to Earth with.

<__>

If anybody were to ask Kara why she chose to be a firefighter she’d tell you that she loves helping humanity and wants to give back to a community who gave so much to her when they so graciously took her in. If Kal El of Krypton asked Kara the same question she’d would’ve already thrown him into the sun, since it was his dumb idea to get her out into the ‘real world’.

While there’s truth to the fact she wants to help, there’s nothing humanity has ever given her that she thinks she should pay them back for. Maybe she would help the Themyscirans for their training, however, she was already sufficient back on Krypton having been part of the army for years. But no, the reason Kara choose to be a firefighter was because it was a high energy job on a planet where she annoyingly couldn’t get drunk off her ass and thus needed something to keep her occupied.

Thus, when she pulls into the station on her first day, already dressed and disgruntled, she can’t help but want to fly to the nearest red sun planet and not come back for weeks.

It’s not really a problem; she can totally stop anytime she wants. Just what does she have left to save herself for.

There are several people working around the fire station. Several men, a few women, better then her last few days at the academy. There were somehow two other guys called even and yet only one woman. Nonetheless, Kara takes the stairs up to the loft carefully, one at a time, prolonging how long she will have to work in this dreadful place.

It’s a 24-hour shift, and she really can’t imagine anything worse. She wants to just curl up in a hammock and bask in earth’s sunlight, not this. However, as she walks around the station Kara’s resolves lesson as she tries to ignore the way her heart squeezes as people around the station smile at her, warm, inviting. It’s a familiar sense, but it’s been missing for a while now.

The first person to talk to her is pretty black women in a set of glasses that Kara can begrudgingly state are stylish. “Hello, I’m Evangelina Buckley, please call me Buck. I was told to report to a Captain Nash?” Kara tries not to vomit as she says the name, it tastes like ash in her mouth. She tilts her head and speaks in her polite, dealing with Batman, voice. In turn they look utterly confused at her presence, but she can’t hear the typical elevated heartbeat that would follow not knowing someone.

The woman turns to the older man, “do you know a Captain Nash?”, he responds in kind, before Buck scrambles backwards, her best attempt at seeming like a normal human, “oh, I’m sorry, I must have the wrong address.” It’s a lie from the horse’s mouth as both her and Clark had check the address multiple times, doing a fly over a week before to double check.

The woman, however, doesn’t let her go, grabbing her hand before beginning to laugh. The man walks over with his hand outstretched, “sorry, we like to joke. I’m Captain Nash, you just call me Bobby, Buck. Welcome to the 118, come sit we’re having breakfast.”

He calls for the rest of the team to come upstairs and with it are a few firefighters who give Buck no mind, but one Asian man who introduces himself as Chimney. As she says, ‘I’m Buck’ and he responds ‘ok probie’, reality sinks in, this isn’t home, and it never will be.

The worst part, Kara thinks, is that she’s never introduced once during this breakfast. Her skills aren’t referenced or vetoed. She’s a shell of a person slinking into the shadows like her forgotten memories of the ones she loved. “Is it always like this?” she asks to nobody in particular.

The woman, introduced as hen, replies, “With Captain Nash, yeah.”

<__>

Buck doesn’t really know how to feel about her new job; she frankly feels as certain amount of useless. It’s lunch time already, and the firehouse has taken two calls; one for drowning the other a suicide. The second one died, Buck could only watch as Captain Nash failed to talk her down, she could hear the voice of the dispatcher as she gave up and hung up. She just felt useless.

Buck wants to scream and cry and to have broken her resolve and just stayed with the girl as superwoman, identity be dammed. She has nobody to protect with her ‘real’ name, nobody that would truly affect her if they got hunted down. But she could save everyone if she was just Kara, just the machine that Krypton built.

Captain Nash took the team on break after the girl fell. He then disappeared before anybody could talk to him. Not that Kara is one for wanting to talk, she doesn’t need to, it’s not the first time some died on her, and this one isn’t even really her fault.

So, instead of wasting time milling around the firehouse doing chores that nobody trusts the blonde bimbo to do she took one look at the chore list and stole a fire truck, driving it straight to the serving port. For once Buck also thought ahead and called to make sure that it could be done during the break.

Now as she’s driving back, she can already hear the confusion form the entire firehouse, quite literally. Nash is back from his mental break; he’s cooking lunch and asking Hen where she is, not that the woman knows since nobody bothered to show buck anything in the firehouse, so she had to do things herself.

“I don’t know Captain, but I would take one look at her and one look at the fire engine and think where our probie might be.” There’s a lilt in her voice, a mocking tone that makes Buck want to shrivel up and die. She parks the engine smoothly as she continues to listen to them play their little guessing game.

She doesn’t ask for assistance spotting her as she looks right through the components of the engine to see what she’s going to hit. Nobody acts like they notice she’s been missing, so in kind buck just plasters a smile and a laugh scooping up spaghetti from the bowl with her two fingers as she gets upstairs. She really doesn’t need to eat but she’s seen like two guys at breakfast do similar things and nobody cared.

Clearly Hen and Nash don’t feel the same as they both chastise her slightly, but it’s not the worst thing ever said. “the firehouse has its own rules Buckley; you can’t steal the fire engine for personal wants.”

“What did I even do that was so wrong,” She replies, the response is a long-suffering sigh form the captain.

She looks back confused while chimney laughs and claps her on the back. He doesn’t know Buck can hear it, but when Chimney whispers ‘slut’ under his breath as he passes by to sit down, she glares at him with the fire of a thousand red suns.

Chimney doesn’t look but Nash does, “Wash your hands and sit-down Buckley, try not to disturb the rest of the meal.” Buck does as told with no complaints and lets the over sensitisation of voices wash over her, but before she sits down, she makes sure to go over to the check list to tick of the engine servicing. Sure, it’s the right thing to do but it’s a little petty since she knows the captain will have to look at her name next to the check later.

Lunch isn’t half done until another call rings out. Buck allows everyone else to stand up first and turn away before using super speed to finish her plate. She knows she probably shouldn’t since it’s easily identifiable but to Rao with all that, a girl’s gotta eat.

<__>

The feeling of stepping off of the rig of the engine into action is never not exhilarating to Buck. The Captain is already marching, and Hen and Chimney are beside her catching up. She can hear the sound of a police office pulling up and all feels so really. Just like she’s in the suit.

As the group climb the stairs at a reasonably human pace, excruciatingly slow for Buck they find Steve’s room easily thanks to all the shouting. At the same time Buck can smell blood in the air and a distinct sound of a baby’s cries.

Getting closer to the room the cries get louder, and she can just about hear Nash explain the call, but all she’s really focusing on is the bay in the wall. The baby cover in tissue paper, in a pipe, in a wall.

She lifts up her sledgehammer, knowing exactly where to hit to get the baby out. It would be much simpler if she were in her better uniform and able to publicly use heat vision to cut out the baby. Instead, hands grasp at her, and Nash is, again, actively glaring at her. “Buckley what the hell are you thinking, you’re going to kill the baby if there’s one there!”

“It’s the faster way, we can save the baby quicker, it’s going to drown.”

“No Firefighter Buckley, your rashness is going to kill the baby, follow my orders.” Buck stands down, but she feels the red-hot anger of her youth surround her. The silent call to return to the lantern Corp, she takes a breath.

“Nash, get let her have at it we’re being pranked, it’s a tape recording.” Chimney says waving his arms around. “No, what if a mother gave birth on the toilet and flushed the baby down” Hen replies.

I look at the baby, she right. “firstly, that disgusting, secondly that’s not how it works.” Chim replies, Nash is having none of it. “If it’s a premature baby it could get stuck in the pipes, Buckley your hammer was wrong, go get the saw.”

“Get some common sense while your down there.” Chimney follows. It takes a second for Buck to make it back down, slowing to run when the public can see her again. In total she’s back quicker then anybody, nobody mentions it.

AS they tear down the wall and cut into the pipe Buck is disorientated. All she hears is the cries of the baby mixed with shouts of “LAFD” and “LAPD” as if they were right in her ear. She barely registers when the baby is out but now, they’re all running back to stairs, at the top she finally composes herself.

“hand me the baby Captain, we both know I’m faster,” “Buck I don’t kn-”, “Just give me the baby please Bobby.” She looks him in the eyes as she says it and hands the kid to her swiftly, just after he turns, she books it down the stairs and out the door. She registers to slow down but by the time she reaches the ambulance she incensed.

Kara can’t help but look down at the baby in her arms and think of herself, abandoned. There’s a cop at the Ambulance and a teenager in a medical bed. “We’re joining you, let the woman touch the baby,” it’s a demand form the cop touching her arm, Buck only tugs the baby closer. She steps into the back, creating space for the stretcher. “Just let the woman touch her she needs it to live.” Kara only laughs in spite at that statement, she knows the kid’s a teen, but she can’t help but want to kill her.

“She didn’t want the kid then; she doesn’t need the kid now!” The girl already looks half dead on the stretcher and Buck couldn’t think of any worse decision, but the cop just rips the baby from her arms and places it on the girl’s chest. When nobody’s looking as the victims are taken to hospital she lets her eyes glow red.

“You could’ve gotten that woman killed, you don’t get to choose who survives here kid, one day you’re going to get someone killed” Buck only looks you and it’s the cop again, she feels nothing, only looking towards where the poor kid is wheeled away. “I thought that was our job, choosing who lives.”

The cop doesn’t respond, and when the fire engine pulls up Nash doesn’t say good job. Kara is starting to forget why she took this job.

<__>

The next call isn’t much better. Buck manages to get reprimanded for being polite after a victim tries to flirt with her, despite blatant harassment, and for killing a snake that was killing someone else. What’s really ruining her day though is now she’s taken one of the ladder trucks since nobody was listening to her.

You see, walking through that entire building there were about fifty fire hazards and no regulations, a matchstick waiting to burn. So, like an actual Firefighter, since nobody cared about her assessment, she took matters into her own hands with paper and a set of eyes, documenting everything.

She knew Bobby would come eventually, so she waited on the top of the apartment with the ladder extended from the truck. “Buck, you know the truck has a GPS beacon, moron.” In turn she sits up from her lawn chair, smirking up at him.

“I know, but please do give your best assessment of my behaviour.” His jaw tightens “you’re fired,” in an instant she’s up. “You said I had three strikes, more importantly where was the first one that made you say this.”

“You know the first one, and it doesn’t matter you threw this opportunity back in my face, you’re out. How much does you kit weigh?!” He’s yelling and Buck is confused and angry, “60 pounds,” he nods, “exactly, so when you come to work everyday you make sure you leave everything but those sixty pounds at home. Buckley, some people’s lives are actually hard, you have lost nothing, your behaviour and lack of care does not make you better, it just makes you a liability, you’re fired.”

“Please Bobby,” Buck says before he can turn to leave, he doesn’t deserve her begging, but she needs him, “I have nothing else.” She tries to think about her cousin, he will kill her the second he hears, but she can’t do anything now.

“Come back to the firehouse, we need to sign you resignation paperwork. Everyone always has something else Buckley, especially someone like you, find another job.” He motions to follow, her responds I’ll meet you there.

Left alone on the top of this weirdly yellow apartment Kara wants to scream, but nobody buy Kal El would hear her, and even then, he brought her here, he wouldn’t even care.

<__>

Kara flies back to the firehouse after a reasonably time, when she makes it there’s a sticky note next to resignation forms. They left to go help someone else, buck thinks to herself that she could probably tune into the action, but she doesn’t bother.

Right beside the forms she leaves her own paperwork, the ones the Bobby hadn’t even noticed when he was yelling at her, for what she’s still a little unsure about. Buck then move towards the forms and fills in the sections that she can do alone.

It’s two minutes into the forms that her phone rings, it’s Hen, how she got her number or why she’s even calling eludes her. “Go for Buck,”

“Hey so, you know the cop from earlier who yelled at you, Athena, well she needs to some help, and needs someone to drive a fire truck at her scene. Since you’re closer than us would you mind doing it.”

“yeah, Hen, I got it. Text me the location, does she want the big engine, because that’s all that’s left here.”

“Take the engine, we left it because it needs to go into service later today and thus wouldn’t be safe on a scene.”

“No, Hen I took the engine into the service station earlier today, it’s fine. Again, send the address.” Buck hangs up before she can get reprimanded again, clearly that’s what she did wrong since the House already had a time slot.

It doesn’t take as long as she thought to get to Athena’s location, and the woman at Dispatch has already informed her of the situation on the drive over. Stopping by the police car at the entrance of the road, she gets out of the truck and walks to meet Athena.

“Hen sent you?”

“Sadly, for you I’m all they had to spare. Now I’ve been filled in by dispatch, you just need to tell me when to stop so you can get out.” Buck can see the begrudging acceptance on Athena’s face as she gets in. There is complete silence in the engine, just listening out for the little girl to fully here the truck go by.

Then all hell breaks out, Buck stops the truck and Athena runs. Buck doesn’t even think twice about listening out for Athena’s movements, watching her with X-ray vision just to make sure she’s safe. Just like she would if she teamed up with any member of the Justice league. Buck doesn’t have time to unpack all of that, but she does have time to watch one of the trespassers make a run for it.

For the first time it doesn’t occur to her to use her superpowers but rather she climbs to the top of the fire engine and use the hose to knock him down onto the lawn. Athena runs just as quickly to handcuff him, and when she looks back to Buck, she says something Buck only imagines she wouldn’t have if she knew she could hear her. “Good job kid.”

She steps off from the truck with ease and helps move the criminals into Athena’s car. “You know I’m named after a war goddess in my language too.” Buck remarks when the job is done, Athena looks puzzled, “What kind of war goddess is named Buck?” Kara can’t help but laugh, “God no, my name isn’t Buck, that’s a nickname.”

Then as if time itself strikes Buck she looks at her phone and rushes to the engine. “You’ve got it all from here, right?” Athena nods, “Alright then, I’ve got to go back to the fire station so I can get fired, I think I’m going to move to metropolis after this and hope that Lex Luther kills me. Might be the best thing I’ve done in my entire life spand.”

Athena doesn’t laugh, just looks worried, but she does wave a sly goodbye. In comparison bobby is neither happy to see her or grateful for her work today. No conversation passes between them on her walk of shame to his office. He didn’t bring in her paperwork, but she also doesn’t see it on the table, but her termination forms are in hand.

“You helping Athena changes nothing, you still fucked up, and you still need to fill out these forms.” Buck only nods, she can already see Ma and Pa’s house waiting for her, hell maybe she’ll even visit Maddie or spend some time on Tamaran with Koriand’r.

The forms take less than ten minutes; she at least gets to keep the uniform. Nobody asks what’s happening when she leaves but when she makes it to the changing rooms, that are for some reason glass, hen comes up to her.

“I read your report. You were doing actual work at that apartment; you were trying to do your job weren’t you.” Buck only turns back to her with a raised eyebrow. “Of course I’ve been doing my job Hen, I’ve been doing my job all day, but I don’t think anybody’s ready to here that.”

“It wasn’t your job to take the engine to the repair shop,” she points out, “Well, nobody really told me what to do, they just told me to stop doing nothing, so I guess it was my job.” Buck doesn’t wait for hen to respond, leaving directly to her useless jeep that she pulled out of storage, a gift from her sister.

Despite wanting to, she doesn’t sit in her jeep and cry, she takes it all in stride and just simply leaves. She misses Athena’s car pulling into the station, and misses Bobby’s conversation with Hen.

<__>

Stepping into her house after failing all day she feels the need to talk to Kal, or just anybody who knows her. She barely gets to close the door before Krypto flies into her. She thanks Rao that batman fully reinforced the house as she slams into the wall.

It’s a comforting pressure, a reminder that she’s not alone at the end of the day. She holds onto him in her arms, and she can see where he was smart enough to unlock the puzzle for his dinner while she was at work. Similarly, she can see where Streaky, her cat, has also helped himself.

Dragging her body across her home she’s glad for the afternoon sun as she sinks into her hammock perfectly positioned to soak in the sun’s afternoon rays. Krypto and Streaky snuggle in next her, and before she can take her pre-crime-fighting nap her phone rings for the second time in one day.

“Go for Buck,” she starts thankfully without a yawn. “It’s Captain Nash,” she hums, “what can I do for you Captain, I believe I already handle my resignation.”

“You’ve been endorsed by Athena, she seems to like you after your help, hen also tells me you took the engine in for service before lunch, and I happened to read through what you were doing in that apartment. I owe you an apology, if you so wish, I will see you at work the day after next for your next shift.”

Kara can’t help but laugh directly into the phone. “Wow, I’m both hurt and insulted captain Nash, I don’t know what you thought I did-”

“Have sex in the fire trucks,” she laughs again at Bobby’s blunt admission, “Ok, well that is just stupid. I did not do that, and I don’t like that you accused me twice and fired me with no evidence, I’m coming back because for some dumb reason I did like doing my job today, but I want it on record that you were wrong.”

“I’ll note it in the files Firefighter Buckley,” Kara nods, “You should call me Buck captain, I fear I’m going to have to make you my friend, and if you happen to know Athena tell her thank you, and I’m sorry for our awful first meeting.”

“Call me Bobby then, since I hope we can be friends too. Oh, and I’ll pass the message to Hen. I’m sorry for everything today, Buck.”

As Kara hangs up she surprisingly isn’t mad, just tired. She just wants to disappear for a while and drink until her body gives up on itself and leaves her stranded dying in a blackhole, but, maybe, Kal El may need her, hell maybe this fire station will need her.

Chapter Text

It’s been a full month since Buck has started working at the fire station and everything seems to be settling into a comfortable rhythm. After the complete dumpster fire of her first day some things have changed.

Hen is nicer, there’s an element of respect now after the entire false accusations. There’s a sense of trust between the two, comradery built on more then being the few women in a male sector.

Chimney makes just, but not just at her expense, rather including her too. She joined a couple of his poker nights and can’t seem to quite grasp why kara keeps rejecting both the men and women her tries to set her up with. To be fair to him, it’s not like Buck’s not looking, or hasn’t hooked up once before, it’s just that she can’t afford to look bad right now.

Bobby on the other hand is on and off. He’s been teaching Buck to cook since he found out she doesn’t know how in the first week. Buck doesn’t exactly know how to tell these people that since she’s an alien from another planet she doesn’t exactly need to eat.

But Bobby is also being weirdly protective and scrutinising of her every action. It’s awkward, or well it’s more annoying. Buck can’t seem to do anything in the fire station without his hovering, she has finally been given chores, and the man is right beside her at the wind she’s wiping, almost as if he’s waiting for her to prove him right.

Despite the growing trust, Kara’s still keeping everything close to her chest, she doesn’t invite them over, she doesn’t telling them about her past. Nobody needs to know anything substantial to work with her.

It’s all new. It’s certainly different from how she remembers things running on Krypton, and it’s different from how Buck’s being living her life recently. It’s different but nice, so, as the engine pulls onto another scene Buck is ready to kickass saving lives.

There are cameras everything where and people are screaming. She can hear the panicked heart beats and can smell the early rotting of the dead body on the floor below the broken roller coaster. Buck’s let to have somebody die on her on the job, but there have defiantly been bodies awaiting them.

“Buck, I want you to get up to the top of that rollercoaster. Chimney and Hen carry that body away like it’s alive, we don’t want to scare people,” Bobby calls and everybody moves into action, Buck moving slightly faster than the rest.

She gets into her harness and starts to pretend to properly scale the rollercoaster, she does the same with most buildings, instead just using her ability to fly to get to top faster. When she makes it she can clearly see the problem, one of the men is completely out of his seat.

“Hello everybody, I need you to remain calm,” She starts placing the persona on and hooking herself up safely amongst the screaming, “I’m going to get this man out of here first then we’ll get everybody else to safety, sir, can you tell me your name.”

“I’m Devon”

“Ok Devon, I need you to take my hand, using the one you’re not using to hold on”

“You’re not going to be able to carry me.”

“Devon you’re going to be really shocked how much I can lift, I just need you to trust me right now, please take my hand.”

“What about my buddie down there, is he ok they’re dragging him away!”

“Devon he’s fine, he’s on a stretcher, please just take my hand!” Buck can hear the slight creaking of the roller coaster as her voice gets more desperate. “No, he’s dead and I’m dea-”

He’s too far away for Buck to reasonably catch him using her super speed, his momentum would’ve thrown a normal person off with him. There’s nothing she can do but watch and listen for the crunch of the man hitting the pavement.

She can hear the gasps and the sirens, but her body moves anyway. Buck feels like a robot as she clams the screams of everybody else, as she helps everybody else get safely off of the rollercoaster. Back on the ground Chimney claps her on the back and gives her shoulder a meaningful squeeze before he continues triaging. No words pass but there’s an understanding.

“Your first body I’m guessing, I know it hurts but you’ll learn to cope with it.” Hen says as she pauses her work to standing next to buck, now leaning on the engine, waiting and staring at the space where Devon was.

“It’s not my first death.” Hen only looks overly slightly, no real judgement. “I’m used to the dead, I’m not used to being able to do nothing, to pleading with a man whose already giving up. That was somebody else’s job.”

Buck already knows Hen is thinking she’s some ex-military, and for what little of that is slightly true, Kara doesn’t want to talk about it right now, she just wants to curl up in a sunspot. “You think he wanted to die.”

“No, I think he just thought that was the way things were panning out, he was helpless.” It’s ironic since her family crest means hope. “It’s tough, those kinds of deaths are the worst to have first in this job, I don’t know what to say that will make it better, just that nobody’s judging you.”

“I know, Chim gave me his famous ‘meaningful stare’, and I can see Bobby already glancing over at us,” as she says it Buck tries to push a smile and brush it off. The response seems sufficient enough, as hen joins Chim, in her absence Bobby walks over.

“We talked about being friends last time, and I think right now you could use a hand.” From her position in the rig of the engine now, buck holds up her hand. “Bobby, I’ve seen death before, I’ve caused it, this is nothing truly new, I just- I feel powerless right now.”

It’s certainly a new situation for Kara, but Bobby acts like it’s nothing, humming. “I think you should talk to one of the fire department’s specialists. Death comes and goes you need to be able to move on otherwise you don’t have a career.”

Buck rolls her eyes at Bobby’s closing comment. “I’ll see if I can go to the therapist, but I’m going to remind you I’ve seen death before, this isn’t a problem.” Buck walks away and over to where the camera crew is filming, she may as well support her cousin’s industry.

<__>

It’s a problem. Kara is staring at the early morning sky and unable to sleep, she’s been like this since the accident. She tried to go on a walk with Krypto, then on patrol when he decided flying was more fun. Absolutely nothing has taken her mind off of Devon’s scream when he fell, she’s just left staring at the notification on her phone about his funeral.

It doesn’t take much to convince herself to go. It doesn’t take much to fly over to the location in a presentable black outfit. She doesn’t know if this conversation is going to help her, but she stands at the side of the ceremony listening to his eulogy.

She politely claps, but nothing feels any different. “It’s all your fault, why didn’t you do anything.” Buck hadn’t been paying attention when the short woman came up to her. “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand,” Buck replies, but she knows she does.

“You were the firefighter helping my brother, he fell because of you, you let him go. You failed him!” The yelling feels like getting shot and Buck can feel her tears welling. “I did everything I could,” I feels like a lie as she says it, “he let go! Did you even think it could be his fault!”

Kara doesn’t remember she lost her temper like that. “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry for your loss.” Buck leaves the woman crying and shoots into the air, landing on the clear roof of the fire station, kit in hand. The 60-pound kit, the only baggage that should be brought into work.

She doesn’t start another 30 minutes, Bobby finds her anyway, like a weird parental sixth sense. “You went to his funeral, didn’t you?” – “How could you tell, was it the mourning black or my sunny disposition.”

“You like you’ve been slapped in the face, not literally but like mentally slapped. You have the look of a soldier who’s been blamed for the death of a comrade.”

“Yeah, that’s a spot on assessment. Devon’s sister accused me of giving up and letting him fall, I might’ve snapped and accused him of wanting to die.”

“You remember his name,” Buck hums, “good, I remember my first death, I know this isn’t the same for you since you’ve ‘seen death’, but this is a different kind. No matter what you think this wasn’t your fault.”

“In a way, it passively was. I had the means to save him I didn’t. I didn’t save them!” Kara’s crying slightly as she says it. “Buck, I need to listen to me, you couldn’t have done anything, you didn’t light this fire, it’s not your fault.” But she could have, and that haunts Kara.

From the human perspective Bobby is right, and Buck can feel bad when she brushes off his attempt at a hug. She doesn’t deserve it. Her watch buzzes as he reaches to talk again. “Thank you for this talk, Bobby, I need to clock in now.”

He stands on the roof for a moment, seemingly looking at something past her. Only for a second before they both fall into line with each other, leaving for their respective places.

<__>

Buck makes it a full day on the job, but her final scene hits hard. They’re at a skyscraper and she needs to rappel down the side. To stop a suicide attempt. It’s a routine move, and she doesn’t hesitate once. She feels as if she’s falling down the side of the building and she can just about hear Bobby telling his story to the victim. It’s a lie, but Buck knows the best are shrouded in truth.

There’s moments on the line where she slips and falls, but the falling feels like flying. It feels like freedom as her body absorbs the sunlight around her and just floats. When she kicks the man back into his apartment and opens the front door for Hen and Chim there’s a moment of hesitation, an inkling of failure tailing her.

“You hesitated.” Bobby says when they’re back in the station, “Buck, where did you use to work, why did you hesitate?” She doesn’t have an immediate answer. Buck didn’t use to exist for the longest time in her life, and what little of Kara she did have left, after the drinking and the fighting and the red lantern Corp, wasn’t enough to be a functioning person.

“I was around, nothing special. Hard to work when you don’t really get along with authority, they like emotionless machines, I couldn’t do that.” It’s a nothing answer. “I think that’s a good thing, you have a spark and passion for creative thinking that suite you well in this job. But don’t loose yourself in Devon, please see one of the therapists.”

He hands over a card and sends Buck off. It feels heavy, like the weight of a promise to be better or a secret oath.

<__>

Kara is in her superwoman uniform when she decides to book the appointment. In her mind it’s like putting on a layer of protective armour to go off into war, a safety net. For a minute she thinks to go Black Canary, then she feels weak again.

So, sitting on top of a skyscraper, tuning into the dispatch calls, she books the appointment. Seconds later she hears a scream and shots off flying. She hears the man before she see him. Kara doesn’t think much about it, acting with her fist first, leaving him a mess on the floor of the alleyway.

Behind her a teenage girl looks back and engulfs her in a hug. Kara can hear the hammering heartbeat, can feel the tears on her chest and when the teen pulls away, she composes herself. “Thank you for saving me, I had pepper spray but seem just as effective. I’m May Grant by the way, and I really love your jacket, really punk rock.”

The name Grant feels familiar, but Kara just lets it go and embraces her role. She deepens her voice and uses all the authority of her late father. “Well Miss Grant, may I assist your way home with a quick flight, I’m sure your parents are worried.”

“Yeah, I have a feeling I’m already in trouble with mum anyway.” Kara smiles and scoops the teen into her arms, in response may grabs onto her leather jacket.

“You know, I saw that superboy was sporting a similar style to you. Oh, just down in that burrow.” May starts as conversation as I calmly fly her across the city, allowing her to direct my position. “Oh, I know all about Con’s fashion choices, he’s doing in rebellion to his father, if he wears it well enough, he can have the look, I made it so long ago.”

May giggles and together they walk down the street, stopping at a very pleasant house. “Mum might just freak out about all of this, so please don’t take offense and don’t tell her what happened, she’s a cop.”

Before May can, Kara rings the doorbell and smirks, covering May with frame, like a surprise present. What she does expect to be at the door is Athen, whose last name Kara’s now assuming is Grant. “Hello ma’am, I have a gift to deposit with you, one May Grant.”

Kara is endlessly glad that not only does the curl in hair make buck and Kara unrecognisable, blocking her birthmark, but also the hypno-glasses kind of help. “Supergirl, thank you.”

“Actually, it’s Superwoman now, people tend to grow up.” – “I see, well I’ll be sure to have a conversation with my daughter about her activities you can go now.” –  “Right, well have a nice day and stay out of trouble, I will be of service always, but I encourage safety”

Again, Athena hums, the whole interaction is different from the sass and quick-witted woman she’s used to. She looks drained. “I’ll keep that in mind Superwoman, thank you for your help.” Kara wouldn’t say the door is then slammed into her face, but she definitely wouldn’t say the ending was polite.

She doesn’t dwell on it, enough already in her, and instead pushes off the ground to help the next person. There’s a voice lingering in her mind that is trying to count how many she’s already left for dead.

<__>

The therapist’s office is beige, a type of beige that wouldn’t be found in nature, not even the lightest bark. It leaves an uneasy feeling that Buck doesn’t care to linger on. It’s not the clean and healthy message that the hospital now brings to her, it’s weird.

The Therapist’s name is Dr Wells.

For the past ten minutes of the session the two have been sitting in silence, buck doesn’t want to talk and Wells doesn’t seem to care. She’s looking down into her lap, arms crossed over each other until Wells places her hand.

“You’re such a pretty girl, between you and me I think we can come to an arrangement, you don’t want to talk, but I need to tick you off so you can get back to work.”

Buck can feel Well’s hand slide up her thigh, like a knife. She merely nods in confusion at the sensation. She isn’t sure what human therapists are supposed to be like, and she can’t bring herself to do anything, as if the walls were made of Kryptonite.

Buck can feel Well’s hands touch her, now climbed into her lap, Well’s thighs gripping at her sides. Buck doesn’t do anything, she can’t. She not Superwoman right now, and she can’t do anything. Buck can’t do anything can’t save anyone. Devon was going to die, and she couldn’t change it, but maybe superwoman could’ve, Buck’s just not that woman right now.

So, she lets the hands roam. She lets the tears fall.

She does nothing, and when it’s over she vows never to try therapy again, it just wasn’t for her and clearly didn’t do anything useful. Instead, she takes a seat in her jeep and talks quietly, for once hoping he’s listening.

“Hey Kal El, I know you’re probably busy right now but, I could really use talking to you, it’s been a bad day, and I could just use a friend.” If anybody saw her it would look like she’s leaving a voicemail on a call, not that she really uses her phone, the number’s just for one person despite how much the rest of the fire house seem to like using it. Kal, on the other hand, knows how to reach her.

Buck pulls out of the driveway and goes to her house, not home. The comfort of the sun is hidden behind clouds and everything feels too loud. She tries not to think about the red tick against her name for the therapy, tries not to think about anything at all.

As her car pulls into drive, she doesn’t bother placing it somewhere nice for her future self to get out of. She just doesn’t care. Buck doesn’t even register her knees collapsing to the floor until the texture of the pavement subsides and she can hear Krypto’s excited barks.

“Hey Kara,”

“Hey Clark,”

“I wasn’t aware you knew that name since you refuse to call me by it.”

“I’m doing it in case somebody intercepts our messages.”

"Name one person who would think of doing that.”

“Batman, Nightwing, Lex Luther, Mr Terrific, Oracle. I can go on”

No I see, you made your point, we will use the Kryptonian names. By the way, have you seen, Conner seems to be copying your look.”

“No, he just seems to be hating on yours cousin, but don’t worry, I’m sure Jonathan will be your biggest fan when he grows up.”

“We can only hope, now what about you, how can superman be of service for you.”

“I lost somebody on a call today, Superwoman could’ve save them, Buck can’t. I watched him fall knowing I could pull him up, how do you do it.”

“I’m sorry Kara, there’s no one definitive way to deal with it. I just think about Pa, he died of a heart attack, I couldn’t have changed the situation, but I could’ve rushed him to hospital quicker, but everyone was watching.

It’s hard, you already know this. The way I see it, we’re all going to die one day, sure we’re going to save people, but we won’t be able to save others. You just need to mourn the loss and try better next time. You’re right, buck may have not been able to do anything in that situation, but sometimes Kara can’t do things, so adapt, and learn. But most importantly grieve, as one of the few people who know you Kara, you can grieve, you did nothing wrong.”

She lets her tears fall immediately. Sat on this disgusting couch with four of the survivors of Krypton, Kara feels loved. She feels seen and heard in a way only Kal El could do. She tries not to think about the fact that once a upon a time this was supposed to be her job.

She tries not to think about Well’s hands on her.

Clark stays the night, and Kara cleans herself raw in the shower, scratching off any sense of the therapist.

<__>

The next morning nothing happens, it’s nice. She flies into work and sits on the roof again, this time with a hot chocolate and a smile. Buck refuses to think of the therapist.

This morning Bobby again seems to have noticed her presence on the roof. “There’s a tick next to your therapist appointment, and I can see you’re looking chipper; I take it things went well.”

Buck laughs, “I’m never going to therapy again, but I did talk to family so I’m fine.” Bobby seems concerned at the first part but seems to laugh with her, it’s a nervous one, but enough that Buck can get out of this conversation.

“Well, I guess I can’t stop you from taking that approach, but you’re fine now, right?” Buck feels the claw like nails on her skin, “yeah, I’m going to be fine bobby, thank you. I’m just watching the sun rise before work.”

“Do you mind if I join, I brought my own coffee.” Buck nods, she doesn’t tell him it’s a Hot chocolate, she doesn’t tell him anything else. She likes Bobby, and so long as her behaviour is good, he should like her too, right?

Chapter Text

Kara knows it’s a dream the second she see her father hunched over the rocket that brought her here. She can’t quite tell if the dream is making his sickness more obvious or if she was truly naïve for all those months.

Kara knows it’s a dream the moment she sees the dying bodies of Kryptonian around her, suffering from a planet trying to poison them.

Kara knows it’s a dream when she’s again carrying the bodies across their broken planet’s surface just so they may hope to find peace in mass burial. Even in her broken dream Kara wonders what it would’ve been like to die with them, to be buried at home.

She hears the coughing, and she can see the blood red colour tinted across every part of the planet. It isn’t the Krypton she sees in her dreams but the broken remains she sees in her nightmares. The aftermath.

The aftermath that she became the sole survivor of. Condemning every other soul of her people to Rao in her wake.

When Kara shoots up in bed and sees the clocking reading 3am she doesn’t go back to sleep. She doesn’t ask for Clark, this has been happening since she was fourteen.

<__>

The accident happens on just another normal day for Buck. It had been a couple of weeks now since Devon, and everybody in the fire house was starting to warm up to her being here indefinitely.

Most of the other firefighters had start calling her by Buck instead of just Probie, and she finally knew enough inside jokes not to feel completely left out.

She’ll never admit it to Clark, but she is kind of glad he kidnapped her from vacations in outer space. Kara will never admit it, but she’s glad to have found earth.

Buck will admit though, she does like waking up early, rising with Earth’s warming sun, and she does like her job, at least when it isn’t heart wrenching. Like now. They’ve been called out to some party on the cliffs, supposedly a bouncy castle has gone off the side.

Kara won’t admit she doesn’t know what that is.

“Buck, you’re repelling down, Chim your on the ropes, Hen prepare for triage.” Buck doesn’t really listen past her job, and whose job it is to make sure she’s doing her job. She just grabs Chimney and runs into position.

She doesn’t have time to process the tightening of his jaw as he watches her rappel down. Just like the skyscraper she allows herself the freedom of flight in these small moments. Chim’s position is just a human precautionary.

When she gets to the victim one is unconscious. “Cap, I’m going to need a stretcher and a second set of hands, one of the kids is unconscious.”

“Copy that Buckley, bring up the conscious one and I’ll go down with you for the other.”

“Can do cap,” Turning towards the kids she holds out her arms, “Ok, I’m going to take you two and then we’re coming back for your friend, it’s all going to be Ok I just need you two out first, think you can that?”

Buck can’t explain it but when they nod and share in that childish resilience her heart squeezes, it’s an adorable show. “Alright boys, you’re going to hold on tight, my friend chimney’s doing the hard work of bringing us up.

Chimney doesn’t need to know that Kara is just slightly hovering so not to bare to much weight on the winch. It isn’t a jab at him; She just needs this scene to go faster.

When the three get to the top and Buck deposits the boys she barely registers how they thank her and brush past Chimney to get to Hen’s station.

“Alright Buckley, I’m going to need you to be very still while we do this, unconscious people can be tricky,” Buck nods and gently pushes off the cliff, waiting only seconds for Bobby to follow her.

Again, she doesn’t really even factor in that her body automatically is just flying to be gentle. The fact she’s going so only helps the rescue go smoother in her opinion. In these hard rescues Bobby barely talks, in a way buck could relate him to batman’s stoic calm, but she trusts that completely, this feels more resigned.

The rescue is over before Buck can even truly think, the kid, Dan, weighs nothing to her and both her and Bobby easily ascend the cliff. At the top things fracture.

“Good job on the winch Chimney,” Bobby says when they’re in the engine travelling back to the station, Buck would agree but before she can chime in Chimney reacts.

“God Job?! I’d hope so it’s the easiest thing in this place, tell me why Barbie’s rescuing people after somebody dropped from her, tell me why your geriatric self is going done instead of a medic like me!”

Again, Kara does not know what a Barbie is, but she knows enough to assume it is an insult. She tries not to take the whole situation to heart but he decided to bring up Devon, right next to her.

“Excuse me?” Buck doesn’t raise her voice, just her eyebrows, turning to analyse Chimney. “Oh come off it, it was not said to offend you,”

“Really?”

“Ok it was a little offensive and uncalled for, but I’m here to critique our captain. Surely you understand he fired you for doing nothing.”

“He fired me for thinking I did something extremely bad, and I failed to communicate my confusion Chimney, I wouldn’t have been fired it we talked, you’re just going for his throat.”

“Fine then, I can argue alone. We know nothing about you Robert Nash, you have no family, no kids, who are you but a ghost and a liar!”

“No, Chimney you’re a liar,” Bobby replies, yelling now as the engine is safely parked. Buck makes her way over to the change rooms to get a drink, but her super hearing is still picking up on the fragments of the argument.

“Chimney, your entire relationship is a lie, you know why Tatiana didn’t want to marry you, it’s because your entire life is a fabrication built on the lives of your coworkers. You steal all of Buck’s rescues and paint them as your own, you use my cooking to impress her!”

The screaming dies out from there and moments later Buck hears Chimney step into the locker rooms. “Chimney,” She start reaching her hand for his shoulder. He brushes her off, “Tell Bobby I need to go let off steam.”

Buck can see the car keys in his hands. “Chim, I don’t think that’s a good idea, you’re going to get yourself killed. Just talk to Hen first.”

“Probie, I didn’t tell you so that you could pretend to be concerned, I told you so that you would do the job.” Buck doesn’t bother rationalising with him, she’ll probably regret that decision later, but some people can’t be argued with.

It takes her two seconds to tell Hen and the woman just sighs, turning her head up like a prayer. “I’ll go talk to him after work; I think you’ve been around long enough to know that he isn’t always like this.”

“I know, I’m more worried then hurt. I’m used to him messing around and being chill about his position at work, I don’t really know Tatiana, but I think her rejection really hurt him, could you just try calling him.”

“Buck, you’re sweet but trust me he just needs alone time right now, he’ll bounce back tomorrow. But I promise, I’ll call him tonight.”

<__>

Hen doesn’t get that opportunity because within the hour that the sun was able to set the station received a personal call from station 122 and 141. The highway is doused in red blaring lighting. It reminds Kara of Krypton, of death.

She tries not to think about the burials she attended, she tries not to think about her nightmare. In the distance she can hear the sound of someone screaming and crying, it sounds like Athena, but it also sounds like the rest of the city when nightfall erupts.

The Captain of the 122 runs up to them quickly. “He only wants to see you and Hen; your team has to look after him.” Bobby seems just as confused as everyone else but when the group roll up to the car Buck knows the number plate.

“Chimney,” Buck says through the silence. She can hear his heartbeat fighting, a distinct sound that she’s been getting used to since she became a part of the 118. “Come on, we need to solider through,” Bobby shouts pushing her frozen body forward.

“Hey Bobby,” Chimney chokes out, there’s a grotesque piece of rebar penetrating the front of his head, right through his skull. “I don’t know why but I can’t move my head right now, is everything ok.”

We can all see it in Chimney’s face when he realises, he’s injured. “Bobby, show me a photo, I need to know how bad! You can’t dictate this, I need to know!”

Buck watches as Bobby takes a photo and hands Chim the phone. The car has been totalled; the seat covered in his blood. It reminds Kara of sifting through the ruins of Krypton. Uncovering the bodies with their skulls pierce, arms crushed.

Buck doesn’t participate in this emergency, she allows Hen and Bobby to work, she isn’t really suited for delicate work, but she does make an effort to sit with Chim. “You know you were right kid; I was going to get myself killed.”

“Bold words from a man who, surprisingly, isn’t dead yet. We’re still going to save you Chim, plus your memory seems to be working just fine.”

“It’s a head injury, I don’t think it could get worse. I’m not going to work again.”

“I don’t know Chim, I’d say a leg injury beats this. I mean it’s just a measly piece of rebar, how bad could it hurt.” That gets a chuckle and a smile over the sound of the saw cutting the rebar in the back.

“Ok big shots, any chance you think is going to buff out after this?”

“With your luck, you’ll probably get a discount for it not being a difficult job. Want anything while you have your little vacation in the hospital?” Chimney scoffs, “If you can get Superman to come visit me while I’m conscious I think I’ll be good.”

Buck smiles and squeezes his hands one last time before his car chair is taken into the ambulance. “Tall order for a man who should’ve listened to you,” Hen says, her bloodied hands resting on Buck’s shoulder.

“I don’t know, I think this is going to be good for him. I think he needs to realise who’s in his corner, and you know how much I hate to agree with own captain when not knowing the full story, but I think he needs to learn this lesson somehow.”

Hen doesn’t say anything, and Buck has nothing more to add, they just slinking into the fire engine and follow to the hospital that Chim is going to. Expect when Buck rushes to push the doors open and follow the professionals Nash places a hand on her chest. “Our job ends here, you know that.”

“Bobby, he is one of our own. He’s family. I know there is nothing we can do now, but we need to support him.”

“No Buck, this is a fire house not a family, we just needed to pick up the equipment and ambulance from the 122 driving. I can request for updates on his condition for the house but nothing else.”

Kara doesn’t even realise the way she has a death grip on his wrist, or at least what humans would consider one. She tries to ignore the way her blood is boiling and begging to beat the man to smithereens and look after Chimney. She breaths, walking back to the engine and eventually back home so that she can finally do something.

<__>

Kara doesn’t bother to check where the winds are taking her. When Superwoman lands in front of the hospital the receptionist is confused why there’s no bleeding body beside her. “I’m here to potentially spread some joy.”

Her first stop is by a radiology ward, she has no obligation to save cancer patients, their problems aren’t fault. The children that are there are happy to see her, they always smile, for a moment the world seems a little brighter in Kara’s opinion.

She passes by sprains and breaks, nothing serious. However, Kara stops down the end of one hall and looks down. Standing next to a man, heart racing like she’s just been sobbing, in all her glory is Athena Grant.

Kara doesn’t even think twice about speaking to the woman. No one should be alone in their grief. “Hello Mrs Grant.”

Kara stand silent beside the two, she tries not to be too rigid, not to be too much of an emotionless soldier. “Hello Superwoman, I wish we were meeting again under better circumstance.”

Kara softly chuckles and the large man beside Athen looks on in confusion. “I’m sorry to say Ms Grant, where there is a problem there is me, I do not tend to bring in good luck, I wouldn’t want to see me out and about.”

“You say that, however, you seem to deal with issues a lot faster than my people.”

“Super speed does tend to come in handy, and hearing. You know I do tune into your dispatch centre for locations; you’re more useful and then random screaming. Though, I always come when people call my name.”

“I wish I did that today.”

“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“May overdosed, I came her to unconscious. If I had been home any later I don’t-” Kara grabs at her hand and squeezes just like she did for Chim. “I’m sorry, this must be a difficult time at your home, I shall leave you be as you probably don’t want to see me, but remember, if you need it Superwoman is a great deterrent for mean comments.”

“Thank you, Superwoman, I might take you up on that.” Kara smiles and waves as she walks down the hospital hall. She listen though, and in her wake, she hears the man talk. “How do you know Superwoman?”

“She helped May get home safely a few weeks back, I’ve seen her at a couple of scenes as well but she’s usually quiet and professional then.”

“So, our daughter was in enough trouble that Superwoman escorted her home, and you didn’t tell me, Athena she’s, our daughter!”

“Well, right now it doesn’t feel that way!” Kara lets the conversation continue without her, instead focusing on one of the rooms with a familiar heartbeat. He’s in a room a few floors up, and there’s another heartbeat she knows with him.

In her head kara is calling Bobby a hypocrite for waiting with him, in her heart she understands. Despite their illnesses Kara had waited hours, days, with the remaining survivors of Krypton as their immune systems failed and consumed them.

She thinks it’s a little ironic that hospitals on Krypton and Earth look so similar, if not for Earth’s primitive technology. She feels anxiety as she steps into the pristine rooms, she can only remember the ones on Krypton looking like this for one period of her life. When her mother died.

Buck knocks on the glass door and can see the exact moment that Bobby registers who it is. He opens the door and when she steps in she drapes her black cropped leather jacket on the chair that Bobby wasn’t using, sliding in with no word.

“May I ask why you are here ma’am?” Bobby asks in a defensive tone. “I’ve been visiting the hospital rooms; I like to do so when I’ve had a bad day.”

“Could you have saved him?”

“Maybe from this, but not from himself.” Buck replies, the both of them are blunt. “I certainly am no doctor, I am smart yes, but not enough to do the surgery.”

Bobby’s quite. Then he sighs. “He’s already haemorrhaged once; he’s lost so much blood.”

There’s no reply that could help with it, but Buck decides to push instead. “Is he your son?” They’re not even in the same age range; it wouldn’t be possible.

“No, we’re just co-workers, none of his family could show up.”

“Yes, they did. You may not be his father, but you are family, and you made it. Take it from someone who has no one, you don’t just find or have your family, you build it.”

They sit and watch Chimney breath through a tube. Buck watches as Bobby pulls out his phone, she listens as he calls Hen and pats him on the thigh mid call and waves as she leaves. Not moments later Buck is sitting on the roof of a building listening to Bobby update her about Chimney’s condition.

For the first time since she’s been on Krypton, life feels like it has consequences that matter for Kara. She doesn’t think she would survive losing another person she loves, and sadly for Kara, these weak little humans are now a part of that.
 

Chapter Text

“How many cards do you think we’ll need to send Chimney when he finale wakes up?” Buck asks as she and Hen make work on the fire engine. It’s already late in the afternoon and has been a couple of days since the accident.

“I think the real question is how you’re going to get superman to visit him, I mean you promised.” Buck laughs, “Hey, Superwoman visited, is that not enough for the man.”

Hen rolled her eyes, “Sadly I fear he did not get to see her so he might be satisfied with your response.”

“Tough luck for him.”

The two laugh and move on in silence. Buck’s noticed that recently the fire house has been drifting in and out of happiness, Chim’s injury choking out their laughter. In some sick way, it reminds her of Krypton.

It reminds her of he father telling her stories and people trying to laugh through the pain of poisoning. Not a single person was left alive or healthy bar her; she still doesn’t understand it.

“Buck, come join me up here!” Bobby shouts pulling her out of her thoughts. He’s still slowly teaching her how to cook food, still staying on breakfast for now. Despite never needing the skill, buck does enjoin their little moments together.

“Need me to taste the pot, old man. Have yours shrivelled up with age.” He gives a slight chuckle as he hands Buck a small spoon. “No, I thought I was teaching you new things, this is included in the cooking process Buck. Now can you feel the flavours on your tongue.”

Kara tries not to think about her parents asking the same on Krypton, her tongue meeting flavours she’ll never find again on Earth. “It’s got this bitter but sweet taste, I like it, but it is missing something.”

Bobby nods, “I hadn’t put in the parsley yet, you’re getting better at this Buck.” He pats her on the shoulder and in turn Buck leans into the touch, soaking up the warmth. She moves away and watches the pot of spaghetti, scooping out one noodle and testing the readiness, cooked.

Having only started this weeks ago Buck will never not be surprised how they’ve perfect their wordless kitchen dance as she strains out the water and pours the spaghetti into the sauce pot while bobby stirs.

The dance only fractures at the sound of the alarm. A lid is placed on the goods, and the heat is turned off. In the captains seat Buck can hear the news of the emergency, more importantly as they drive closer and closer, over the sound of the sirens she can hear the screams.

<__>

“What’s the situation cap, where do you need us?” Hen asks as Buck merely stares at the open waters, it’s her first mass casualty and, just like Devon, she is clinging onto the idea that Superwoman could’ve helped. Except, that’s not going to help anyone now, it is not her job to prevent every disaster, only help where she can.

“Hen, I need you to go check the coast guards helicopters, Buck you’re with me we’re going to start getting people out of this mess.” The two take charge on one of the coast guard boats laying around.

“I know it’s a lot of people, and this is your first on the job Buck, but I need you to stay level-headed.”

“Yes captain, ready to follow orders.” As the drivers trudges their group forward Bobby looks back and smiles at Buck. “I know you’ve probably been here before, given your history, just as a captain you say it to all the probies.”

“Don’t worry, I know cap, we’re going to get through this.” Bobby nods and appears to smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

As they approach the scene and can see Hen also nearby, coming back to relay information, Bobby looks up to the sky and Kara can hear him praying. “Buck, I’m going to confer with Hen, we have four minutes to get these people to the beach before it starts sinking, start counting who we need to save.”

Following protocol Kara takes in a breathe and dives into the water, once fully submerged she again sends thanks for her Kryptonian genes. She can stay under for an hour and can see just fine in the dark water.

Underwater the first thing she see a pull for raft sign, activating it as she passes so they don’t have to multiple trips back to shore, next she counts the heartbeat and names she can hear. Coming up for air she uses her flight just slightly to get to hen and Bobby, they all ignore her soaked uniform.

“There’s five, two far down the back, two clumped together and one alone. I think the two at the end are locked in a bathroom.”

“Alright, I can also see our first one, we help him and then separate.” The two follow him wading through the water, the man they find is trapped in his seat by the belt. Hen and Buck let Bobby to take charge.

“Sir I need to you calm down,”

“I am going to drown.”

“You’re going to do it faster if you continue to struggle.”

“What else can I do except struggle.”

“You can let my firefighters assess your situation and allow us space to help. Just stop moving first.” The man shushes for a few moments, allowing Hen to talk. “His seatbelt is jammed with the water. We’re going to need cutters.”

“I could’ve told you that you dumb woman,” the man cuts in but nobody pays him any mind, Buck simply stares at him unimpressed.

“Bobby I’ve got some cutters, I’ll help this man and get him to the raft, you go to the two clumped together and Hen should get the two in the bathroom.”

“Buck, I wasn’t aware you were Captain,” she looks off to the side but Bobby only nods, “You’re in good hands sir, one of our most prepared firefighters.”

The compliments squirms in her stomach as she watches both Bobby and swim away, buck doesn’t even register he used firefighter instead of probational firefighter. Despite the good Buck feels the man still argues.

“Sir, if you want me to cut this, I’m going to need you to hold onto your seat.” It takes a moment for the man to oblige before sinking down with the lapping water, shoulders just barely above and sinking fast.

Kara doesn’t even bother to hide it, but she did not in fact have the cutters on her, but by Rao does she have the strength of a god that can tear through the seatbelt as if it were made of butter.

She grabs at the mans waist when the seatbelt gives and pulls him along with her as she swims back to the safety raft. Buck hurls him over with no effort. “Sir, you are going to stay here until we can get everything else, you are fine, remain calm, you did a good job.”

She can hear the man yell thank you clear as day even though she’s fully submerged. She resurfaces beside Bobby, “What’s the situation?”

“I feel like I should be calling you Kin Possible,” Buck doesn’t understand but nods like she does, “This is Tammy and Jake, I need you to take Jake to the raft while I look after his Mum, and then you’re going to help Hen.”

She takes Jake with ease when Bobby hands him over, he doesn’t make eye contact, “I will be joining you back her Captain Nash, when I am done following your orders.”

“I know you will Buck; I’m counting on it.” Buck can smell the blood in the water and allows the son one final moment of goodbye before swimming at a fast but normal human pace back to the raft.

“Sir, could you look after Jake for me,” the man from before nods, it’s these little bits of care that Kara does so adore about humanity, the capacity for good. “Will his family be joining us soon.” Buck gives barely a smile, “Hopefully soon, we just have a few things we need to wrap up, she’s got to be a hero right now.”

The man understands a wraps the child in a foil covered shock blanket. She dives back under and pulls up where Hen is struggling. “You know, you swimming around is reminding me about sharks, god if Chimney was here, he’d make a jaws joke right about now.”

They both give a sombre chuckle, Buck nudges her shoulder. “How can I help.”

“I need something to rip this door off.” Kara acknowledges her strength would be too obvious in the deep water. “A boat would have the motor capabilities, right?”

Hen looks onto the water where Buck is pointing, “yeah, that’ll do, go fetch the boat miss retriever. In moments of panic people let actions of superhuman abilities go, Kara lets down her defences in effort to catch up to that boat, using unreasonable speed that only the darkness could cover.

“Do you have a wench on this boat; we need to rid a door off this plane to save a few people.” Buck asks to the shocked screams as she climbs onto the little jet ski sized thing. “yes ma’am, we’ll give you the hook, you just shout and stay clear of the pathway.

When she dives into the water again hook in hand, she can feel the boat shifting position to get in line with where she had pointed to the door. Buck tells Hen to move a few aisles down away from potential damage and tells the couple in the bathroom to step away from the door.

The hook attaches seamlessly, and Buck can already hear the creaking sound from where she bent the door to get a perfect latch. “Step on it!” She shouts across the dark expanse. She can hear the motor whirling and just remembers to duck as the hinges creak and snap.

“Smart move kid, grab one and we’ll move them to the raft.” The couple stay silent as they swim with Hen and Buck, they’re grateful. “We’ll need to go back for Bobby and his victim.”

“Buck, the water’s rising, we might not have time to save her, are you willing to watch that.”

“No, but Hen, we need to convince Bobby to get off this plane, I think he is taking his role as Captain to far, he won’t save himself.”

“Buck, Bobby wouldn’t do that, he has a responsibility to us.” Buck shakes her head, “You didn’t see his eyes Hen, I need to talk to him.”

They get to raft and off load their passengers as they’re attached to the side of the boat from before. “Are we good to send these guys to the shore?” one of the coast guards asks.

“Yes, send them to the shore, we have one more but we’re not sure. We can wait.” The coast guard nods and Hen and Buck swim backwards as the motor activates. Taking Hen’s hand, Buck starts to pull her to where Bobby is.

“Bobby!” Buck shouts in a strangled cough when she see the man. Both him and the woman look on the verge of drowning with the water up to their mouths. “You need to leave Bobby,” Hen calls out.

He lifts his head a little further out. “I can’t, I can’t just leave her here.” Kara can see the woman’s eyes, she’s grateful he’s here. “We can’t convince you can we captain, can we?” Buck replies over the sound of the waves.

“No, you can’t Buck, I’m going to try and make it out, but if I don’t, don’t let this be what stops you form being a firefighter.”

Kara chokes on water at the back of her throat and her eyes sting with tears. Hen grips onto her hand she lifts her head up so not to be pulled under. Just as she does a helicopter goes by. Buck doesn’t even think as she starts to scale the broken hull of the plane, the sky has well set on their time at the scene and getting here.

“This is probationary firefighter Buckley to dispatch of those at the scene, I need to get into contact with one of the helicopters from the coaster. They need to have a winch on them and to be to lift a seat. We have one more victim to save.”

Hen stands up with her and upon the dry land starts the cackle of her own radio. “We repeat this is Fire fighter Henrietta Wilson from the 118, we need a coast guard Helicopter, we have a flare if they need guidance.”

“Hello 118, it’s dispatch, sending the Heli over now if you could just light up your flare.” Hen taps Buck’s thigh, and she raises her hand to let the light blast into air. In the following minutes the woman is saved from near drowning and Bobby doesn’t die, yet, but Buck still can’t shake that look in his eyes.

<__>

The next coming into work is tough. Kara didn’t sleep, although she doesn’t really need to with the sun energising her, it does help her mentally. No, for the entire night she was out, in a different uniform, hurling bodies from the ocean, her face holding tear streaks for those she couldn’t save, dead on impact, their screams drowned out by the sound of waves.

“I know it seems bad Buck, but yesterday was the worst day ever, today’s just another.” Hen says when they meet in the locker room, Buck shakes her head. “No, the worst day is always the aftermath, the haunted eyes clinging to you, yesterday was good until that moment.”

“Have you scene Bobby,” Hens asks out of the silence, “I know you only got here just as soon as me, but I know you have his number, you two seem close.”

“No, I haven’t heard from him, is he not in?”

“I didn’t see his car in the carpark, and there’s nothing cooking upstairs.”

“Something’s wrong Hen, after yesterday, I think we need to go check on him, we can’t just let something be wrong.”

“Captain Hues is still upstairs, we’ll inform him of our plans, I have a spare of Bobby’s keys, we gave each ones in case we needed to, well you know. Actually, I should talk to you about the same later.”

Buck laughs and rushes up to the loft to inform the captain, he remains understandable and promises to hold down the fort.

It takes Buck and Hen 20 minutes to reach Bobby’s place, they get a good run in face of traffic, but the climb up the stairs to his floor would do in a normal human, slowing both down. Kara matches her pace to Hen but makes sure she can hear the familiar rhythm of Bobby’s heartbeat.

She couldn’t track it from a distance, not having memorised it, but when close she can pinpoint it by now. “We need to break down his door, I don’t think he’s going to open up.” Buck says after the two try knocking thrice with no response in between.

“yeah, I hate to invade but-”

“But he could be dead, and we need to act fast.” Buck finishes, they nod and Buck gears up to kick it in, before Hen looks unimpressed and brandishes a key. They twist the lock together and step into the room.

The apartment lack personality, lacks flare. It reminds Kara of her room in the Buckley’s house, beige, no photos. It reminds Kara of her first apartment, alone in a new city, never giving herself enough time on enough to stay and plant roots.

Kara’s heart twinges in sympathy when looking at the littered bottle and the passed-out man as they wake him up with a cold shower. No matter how much he promised the both of them it wouldn’t happen again, Buck replays the moments in her head and worries for the man.

Bobby calls in sick for the rest of the day, Buck and Hen stay quiet, the jokes don’t land as good when two of their own are called out.

<__>

Buck doesn’t expect when she finishes up with Bobby, but she does here it. Athena calls her name, not Buck, obviously, but she calls for Superwoman. She’s one of the first to directly ask for her without trying for Superman first.

Touching down, Athena barely looks up from her seat on the concrete stairs leading to her house, she holds up a cup of hot chocolate.

“Sargant Grant, how may I help you. You aren’t in uniform, so I’d assume that this isn’t case related.”

“I arrested the girl that bullied my daughter to suicide for using weed, they let her go because the family argued retaliation for what she did to May. I’ve been bench for a bit.”

“So, you need a friend.” She laughs with bitter spite, “No, I need you to laser beam that girl into the sun, that’s what you do right? I did call the violent Super?”

Kara laughs, “I don’t hurt children, it’s my rule. But I can help you still, what do you really need?”

“Somebody to go to the cops and say I was right throw the girl in girl for dealing,” Kara rolls her eyes, “I’m not a narc, no what you need Athena is a friend, and while I can be that, try to open up with your own, I’m sure you have some great ones.”

Athena looks thoughtful for a moment, “I can’t, Hen’s life is perfect, she doesn’t need my mess.”

“Nobody’s life is perfect, and nobody perfect is not going to want to help you.”

“I guess that must be true, you’re dressed like an emo edge lord, and you still want to help me.”

“I’m not going to take that to heart Athena, seeing as the only edgy thing I’m doing is wearing a leather jacket with a blue and red outfit, but I agree, talk to Hen. Trust me, your friends always want to help.”

“Do you like the hot chocolate Ms. Woman?” Kara laughs down to her belly and takes another sip, “please, Ms. Woman was my mother, call me Zara, it is my Kryptonian name.” Athena raises her eyebrow but doesn’t comment.

“The hot chocolate is good, but I prefer the smaller marshmallows.” Athena smiles, “I’ll make sure to buy you some for next time.”

As the night darkens Athena bids her a good one and Kara starts her next shift, collapsing into her bed by 1 in the morning for her 24 off. Right beside her Krypto and Streaky make their way onto her, squishing into her neck and sprawling over her chest.

It’s a more comforting weight then the souls of the bodies she couldn’t save.

Chapter Text

Buck isn’t sure what happened, what triggered the moment. It’s been a week since the plane incident and Chimney still isn’t up, but the doctors say he’s in good health, so it couldn’t have been that.

No, they’re at the scene of an emergency, an Indian wedding with over 300 difficult guest that have been refusing to work with the crew to free them, and Bobby just reacted. He didn’t care about the difficultly, no buck was helping somebody else when the man snapped, she failed to hear what hurt him.

Now she’s holding him off as she drags him back to the engine, allowing Hen to finish the job with the rest of the full fledge firefighters. “What happened out their Bobby?”

“The third-floor structure was built illegally and improperly by the father. He let this wedding fail, he’s the reason his daughter could’ve died, Savita.”

“Reasonably, reason to be angry, but I don’t think it constitutes a full fight and your captaincy being revoked.” Buck tries her hand at a joke, but it doesn’t land. They just sit in silence while waiting for the group to finish up.

As everybody puts tools and equipment away, Hen pulls her in. “What’s wrong with him?” Buck sighs, “The same that was wrong last time,” she says adding quotations with her hands, “something that ‘won’t happen again’. He’s giving me nothing, are you sure you can’t find anything from past conversations.”

“Buck, he came from Minnesota, we’ve just been trusting that he’s good and so far, he has been. I just, I don’t want to invade his privacy by googling.”

“Hen, at what point is it going to be too much, he’s a ticking time bomb, be honest with yourself here.” Buck ends, stepping into the engine with Hen following, a different group took the ambulance to the hospital after triaging for the scene.

<__>

Bobby is silent for the rest of the shift, even as they pull into the next call about a man in carwash turbine, there’s no response, probably the more professional approach compared to where Buck stands now.

In a completely reasonable response, Buck wasn’t really needed for this call so in an effort to get out the way, she went to talk to the manager. Buck didn’t expect much, certainly not the funniest thing she’s ever seen earth produce since meeting Luther and his bald head.

This poor worker getting tangled in the machinery shouldn’t be this funny, no it really shouldn’t. But Kara’s been having a tough week and by Rao is it making everything a little bit better. She didn’t mean to let the giggle escape. And she certainly didn’t mean to be that loud.

For Kara to ever truly scream at capacity she would need to be inside a white star, a vacuum in which she wouldn’t tear through the fabric of the universe or destroy a planet. It’s a similar case when she’s laughing.

So, Buck’s not really surprised when both Bobby and hen wander in to find out what’s so funny, called in by the laugh sound of the delighted shrieks.

“Buckley, we need to go.” For a moment she does think to comply, but she can see the dim light in his eyes, the same hers used to be.

“No, Cap, you got to take a look at this come on. You too Hen!” Buck takes Hen’s hand first, dragging her over knowing the captain will follow.

She starts to giggle again as the tape starts up and she can see the small twitch of Hen’s smile. “We need to be professionals,” she starts, laughter escaping her, “Buck, come on be serious.” Her resolve breaks and just like Buck she’s holding her stomach with laughter.

“Ladies, lets be professional here, come on. Back to the engine.” Bobby tries above the shrieks, but he too is cracking a smile. When the video plays again the irony of the tape gets to him and all three are just cackling in this carwash.

Buck likes that she can see a true smile from bobby, one that she hasn’t really seen in a long time. The way his forehead crinkles and his eyes water with unshed tears reminds Kara of her father.

For just a moment her smile dims as at the memory before Hen shoulder checks her, and they all drag themselves out to the engine. The working day wraps up from there, everybody slinking into their cars and back home.

However, before Buck can quite leave Hen hooks her arm into the Buck’s. “I saw what you did today, I know you think nobody’s noticed you trying, but I am. You’re good Probie, and at this point I think you’re going to stick around.”

“Hen, I love you, but I don’t think I really need the pep talk now, we’ve had a good day.” Hen shakes her head while Buck now leans on her jeep. “No, I’m saying this because I’m inviting you to dinner at my place tomorrow night, my son Denny’s going to be there, I know you’ll behave but just a warning.”

“You have a son!” Buck responds with excitement. “Yes, did I not tell you this. Next, you’ll be telling me you didn’t know about my wife, Karen.”

“No, I know about Karen because you won’t shut up about her. I have a feeling she’s going to try telling me a story and I’ll already know the plot.”

“Is that not the best way to listen to my wife’s drunken rambles?”

“Drunk?” Hen pauses from where she was about to walk to her car, having already sent Buck the invite viva a demanding text message. “Not, like hammered drunk, more like, wine drunk buzzed, a little tipsy. We make sure to do nothing serious around Denny. Do you not drink?”

“Ah, no, not anymore, but I won’t let that stop you two from having fun. I also won’t hold off from asking you questions when you lack a filter.” Hen laughs, “right, well I’ll see you at my house tomorrow arvo at 5:30, you have my address, don’t skip town.”

Buck laughs and steps into her Jeep, letting out a sigh. She will probably go home, not to crash after a bad 24 hours, but to go out again and do her job. To go out and adorn the symbol of her long dead house.

<__>

What Kara finds when she does get home to her two-story house, paid by Bruce Wayne’s generous plan to stop her from inevitably becoming a supervillain, neither Krypto nor Streaky are waiting by the door.

Instead, she can hear a heartbeat and the indignant wagging of Krypto’s tail. Except the heartbeat isn’t Clark’s, or Barbara’s, or even Dick’s. No, it’s two heartbeats and they’re engaging in a quite conversation.

Turning the corner, Kara isn’t even slightly surprised by who it is, more why they’re here. “Hey Athena, what do I owe you the pleasure of a visit?” She doesn’t mention May, aware that Athena thinks that Buck doesn’t know her.

“Talk with me in the kitchen, I’m sure May can keep your dog company.” Kara nods, “Be a good boy Krypto, people aren’t as strong as you think they are.”

“Weird thing to say to a dog,” Athena says as they make their way into the kitchen, “He’s a rescue, sometimes bites a little when stressed, doesn’t really know himself. Now what are you doing here.”

“I need a babysitter this afternoon, my Husband and I, or well ex-husband and I, are going to sort some things out. I would normally ask Hen for some help here, but she’s been dealing with her own problems. If you could look after May for a few hours, that would be great.”

“You waited for me to come home from work to do this? Not knowing if I would say yes?”

“I heard that you like kids,” Athena says now pulling out her phone, “and I didn’t have your number, but I did ask Hen when you would be out.”

“I’ll give you my number now, and despite your ‘kid’ not really being one, I can look after her for a few hours. I’ll call if anything happens, go file those divorce papers.”

“You know, you might be my second favourite of Bobby’s Firefighters.”

“I’ll mark the date in the calendar and tell Hen her position is maintained as the best.” Athena laughs, and with two cups of hot chocolate in her grasp hands one to Kara and walks into the next room to give the other to May, kissing her on the cheek both walking out with Kara.

“Drink the hot chocolate, maybe watch some tv or read with her, then maybe take her shopping with you, I know times are tough but how can you afford this house with no food, I know you know how to cook.”

“I may be learning how now, but I don’t really get guests often that require those talents.” Athena nods and leaves out of the dark burgundy front door. “You know our houses have the same front door, now want to tell me why my mother dropped me off with you?” May says from he new spot next to Kara.

“I’m not really sure, but if you finish that hot chocolate in the time it takes me to finish mine and get changed, I’ll take you to the shops and buy you a bag of m&ms while I get food for dinner.”

“Can I help you cook?” Kara looks down at the girl, there’s a feeling of warmth building up in her stomach, it’s new yet familiar. “If you truly have nothing better to do, then who am I to stop you.”

<__>

The dinner they make is chicken parmigiana and salad. Kara makes sure she bought enough food to pack away any extra chicken breast and salad for Athena to take when she comes to pick May up.

The meal is eaten in a comfortable silence, May scrolling on her phone, Buck watching the tv from the head of the table. They eventually migrate to the couch when both parties finish eating, May helping put away the dishes.

For the first ten minutes on the couch May sits up the other end and Buck has the tv on a low volume while she too now scrolls through the apps on her phone, along with the 50-superhero group chats she maintains a presence in.

“You know, you’ve taken my presence pretty well, I mean Mum and I just kind of showed up at your house and demanded you look after me, you’re not even questioning why a teenager needs somebody to watch them.”

“Do you want me to ask questions, because I know better then to argue you with your mother, it’s why you’re here. Well, actually I’ve let you in because you presence really doesn’t bug me, I wasn’t going to do much with my day otherwise.”

“What do you mean you weren’t going to do much, you have like 24 hours or longer off from you shift, right? Don’t you have a hobby?” Buck doesn’t really know how to respond, how does one tell a kid you saved that your hobby is crime fighting.

“Not particularly, I like to research things, but I don’t think anybody would call that a hobby, it’s not really relaxing just an inherent need to know information.” May nods and puts the phone down in her lap to give buck her full attention.

“Right, well I think you should get one then, like have you tired painting, or I see bookshelves so maybe reading. Or sports are good.” Kara herself would consider being Superwoman is a sport, but she can concede that perhaps she would benefit from doing something with her time other than waiting for action.

“I’ve never really tried much, got the house and the stuff inside from a family friend. Nothing really here is my taste except for my bedroom. I’m working on it.”

“Working on it?” May asks with confusion, “what would you need to work on, you have a house and a job.” Buck laughs and can feel a thousand eyes of judgement fall on her, just like they used to.

“May, I’m going to be honest on hope you don’t snitch to your mother about this,” she nods and crossed her heart, “Actually, no give me your pinkie. I’m pinkie promising you to secrecy, not in actual, fi you need to tell someone I trust your judgement, just playfully.”

“I know stranger danger Buck.” She says locking pinkies and shaking.

“I’m just checking. Now, I haven’t really had the best life, and in turn I turned to drinking and parties, it wasn’t the best solution, in fact wasn’t one. I lost my life in all that and I’m really only recently trying to figure out who I am from the pieces.”

“I tried to kill myself.” Buck turns her head swiftly, “It was a drug overdose, Mum found me and now doesn’t trust me to be alone. It wasn’t her fault, I think she’s blaming herself.”

“Parents always do that, I think mine would’ve too, if they knew. My cousin was the one to force me back into reality, I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle for a while in recovery, being given tasks to do by them and visiting my cousin in the big city when I could.”

“Does the need to do it again ever lessen?”

“Everyday I feel the call a little less, however, it remains. The trick it to live your life well and succeed, then the eternal call becomes but a soft whisper.”

The two sit in silence again. When conversation does arise it is calmer, connected. When Athena comes to pick her up Buck meets May’s father, Micheal. Athena is grateful for the portion of the meal, while he simply stares at her.

“Thank you for looking after May, Ms Buckley.” He says, “Call me Buck, nobody uses Buckley.” He laughs but it doesn’t reach his eyes unlike Athena’s smirk and May’s wider smile as they bid goodbye.

However, before May leaves, she does make sure to hug Buck just as tight. Athena makes eye contact and gives a real smile. When Kara adorns her uniform that night the air feels just a little bit warmer.

<__>

The next day at 5:30 sharp she finds herself on the doorstep of the Wilson residence holding a freshly baked pie. Outside of Bobby’s cooking lesson it’s the first human thing she learnt how to cook, under the guidance of Ma Kent.

It was the first time she was given a compliment outside of being outstanding on the field or knowing the right answer to a question. Every time she folds in the edges now the easy compliment rises to her tongue, ‘They’re perfect Kara, you did a good job’.

The person who opens the door for Buck isn’t Hen or Karen, but a small black boy. “You look like a pretty white woman, come on in.” He says shocking Buck to her core, she can hear loud and clear through the house Hen and Karen rushing like she hasn’t arrived yet.

“I’m going to guess you’re Denny?”

“Yes ma’am, Mum said not to talk to strangers, but I have a feeling I will be seeing you around a lot.”

“I hope so, I brought a family recipe pie, it’s for desert. Oh, and no need to call me ma’am Buck is fine.” He gives a sharp nod and takes her hand to drag her to a kitchen table. “You can leave your pie here and then we can play games while we wait for Mum and Mama to find us Buck.”

“I like your game plan, I can’t promise I’ll be any good at your games, but I will try.” Denny reaches for the deck of uno cards and Buck smiles; with the gift of x-ray vision she most certainly can be the best or worst at a game.

<__>

They’re 6 rounds deep when Hen finds them half an hour later, Buck making a particular effort to lose in a realistic way every time. She doesn’t find them so much as she walks in on buck losing another round.

“Denny!” Hen had called out from behind the kitchen wall, “I think we’ll start dinner now, I can’t get in contact with my friend so I think this might be a bust.”

“What do you mean Mama?” Hen turns the corner still on her phone while Denny looks to Buck, whispering “are you invisible,” under her breathe Buck replies, “No, I think your Mum might be a little stressed and confused though.”

“Denny, I mean my friend hasn’t arrived-” She starts as she looks up to Buck waving back at her. “How long have you been here?”

“Since 5:30, Denny let me in, we’ve been playing Uno, I really thought you knew I was here and just needed to tie up loose ends.” Buck replies with a sheepish smile while Denny helps her pack up the cards.

“Karen, our guest has arrived!” Hen yells and buck can hear the woman rushing down the hallway. “How, I didn’t here the doorbell?”

“Yeah, well neither did I, but it appears Denny did, half an hour ago.” Mid run the gorgeous woman pauses and peaks her head into the dining room area. Like she did before Buck waves. “like I said to your wife, I truly thought you were busy.”

“God, she’s exactly how you described her.”

“I’ll try not to be insulted I guess?”

“Sorry, hen says you’re like a golden retriever, easy to please. I hope our lack of desert tonight doesn’t dim that attitude.”

Buck smiles and points to the bench she can see just behind the separate door. “Don’t worry, I brought a pie for desert.”

“Marry me.” The two women say at the same time, following a blush rises on buck’s face whereas Denny looks between the three, “I don’t need a third mother, but I do think you would be a good one.”

The trio laugh at the statement, Karen composing herself first. “I am so sorry for him.”

“if I had a problem I would’ve left when he called me the pretty white girl, trust me, I’m good.”

“Oh god, yeah no that one is my fault,” Hen says as she stands up, “now I hope you like a good roast.” Buck nods along, she’s had the meal before, it’s a delicacy somewhere but Kara herself longs for the foods of Krypton, for her to have a hunger in need of satiating.

<__>

The nights ends within 2 hours, Denny being put to bed after dinner and bit of play, tired out from the conversation. Buck and Hen stay mostly sober between the two while Karen gets drunk enough to pass out in hers and Hen’s bed.

“You’re going to be fine getting home, right?” Hen asks as Buck stands with an empty pie tin. “Yes, I’ve told you before, the dark and I have a torrid past love affair.” Hen smiles.

“I’m glad we did this, you’re surprisingly funny.”

“wow, surprisingly, what a compliment. I’d say you’re downright hilarious Hen.”

“Fine, you’re funny, but that’s not my big takeaway, I knew that. No, I think learning about your house, cat and dog in this economy was more interesting. I’m going to demand to meet them soon.”

“Does it hurt that I invited Athena over before I invited you?”

“Yes, and you know that. I do truly hope tonight wasn’t too much though, I know we weasel, I just want to be sure.”

“No, tonight was fun. I’m glad I did something with myself; I don’t really do much on my hours off. May thought it was sad, and I should get a hobby.”

“I’m with May.” Buck scoffs just as her phone rings and she brings it out. “Of course you are. Wait, Hen, please tell me you got the same message.”

“Chimney’s woken up from surgery.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll be seeing you again tomorrow with some recovery balloons.” Hen claps her shoulder and brings her into a hug. “I know you don’t have partner yet like Chim and I, but please don’t isolate t isolate yourself from the group, I like having you around.”

Buck smile back, it brings about that old feeling of warmth in her stomach. “yeah, no, I’m glad to be with you guys too.

Chapter Text

Valentine’s day has always been one of Kara’s favourite Earth holidays. For once she’s been on the planet to actually celebrate, back when she used to live with Them.

Chimney’s been recovering for the past two- and a-bit months. Hen looks calmer, relaxed with the knowledge everybody is fine, and Athena is calling more, opening up. Kara can’t explain it but she truly does think that love is in the air.

Buck could say the exact same about their current emergency. The woman on the line for dispatch, has informed the 118 of the landing Cessna plane on the nearest golf course. There’s a woman, Kate, who just had a heart attack of some sort mid-flight.

“We can’t approach the plane until the man opens the door, otherwise things could go very wrong, stay close.” Bobby says as the group moves forward together. On her left Chimney smiles, “Have we considered a snake bite for this rescue captain?”

Bobby sighs, but there is a small smile dancing on his lips, “let me guess Chim, we’re thinking there might be a possibility of snakes on this plane.” Hen snorts, “I think you forgot a word their Cap.”

Before he can retort, and before Buck can ask what on earth they’re referencing, the door to the plane opens and the group breaks to let Hen and Chim pass for assessment. “Looks like a Heart attack Cap.” Hen says.

“We’re going to do a Nitro-glycerine Sublimation application to counter act; she should be fine.” Chim states while starting to pull out a line. At the same time, a sound ring channels through Buck’s phone. Irrelevant to the rescue she picks up.

“Firefighter Buckley, the woman disconnected the call but she’s taking levothyroxine for her thyroid, you can’t push Nitro-glycerine.” Buck looks between the emergency and quickly grabs at Chim’s hand. “Wait,” she says looking at him before returning to her phone, “Dispatch, what was the victim’s name.”

“It’s Kate and her dumb fiancé proposed in a plane while faking an emergency. Causing the problem.” Buck nods, “Ok, Chimney the woman takes levothyroxine, does that change anything?”

“Yes, we need to push adenosine then, are we trusting dispatch?” Buck turns to look at Bobby, he raises his eyebrow, “It’s your call kid, probationary period is coming to a close, I trust you.”

“Yes, we’re trusting dispatch, do it Chim.” He pulls another chemical from the bag and Buck stands waiting with baited breathe, the phone is still held up to her ear. After a minute of the solution flowing through the woman’s veins she wakes with gasp.

Amongst the cheers of onlookers Buck takes a moment to inform dispatch, just at the same time Kate gets up and slaps the man who proposed. “Thank you for the information dispatch, you should be glad I picked up though, next time you could radio us, we exist on the same channels.”

From the line Buck can feel the embarrassment, “Right, of course firefighter Buckley, I’ll remember that for next time. Uh, what was the outcome.” Buck laughs but understands. “Kate is fine, though she did slap the man, except seems to be accepting his proposal, good news for Valentine’s day, huh.”

The dispatcher makes a small hum of agreement and wishes Buck well as she hangs up. Everybody else around her turn and give her claps on the shoulder for a job well done, Bobby too smiles. “I know it wasn’t you who figured it out, but it was your call and your intuition to trust, those instincts are going to take you far.”

Buck pulls her own a equip bag from the floor and follows on, feeling a brush at her side. “You did really good today, I know this is the last call for your day, you got any Valentines plans?”

“Chimney, I thought you wouldn’t appreciating me talking about my love life, you know given.” Buck gestures to his head and he laughs. “No, I may have given you shit before, but my accident made me reflect on my life, I think I’m going to take a break for dating. Now, tell me what singles now days are doing with their time.”

“Nothing, I’m curling up at home with my dog and cat, with a bowl of ice-cream on my eternal quest to find a hobby.”

“You are so boring, you sure you’re not going to go to a bar or something, what if tonight is the night to find the love of your life?”

“What if it’s yours. Maybe you’ll meet on a job, and she’s perfect but you’ll reject her because of your monk lifestyle. Nobody’s really appealed to me yet so I’m keeping everything open.”

“Alright, well if you bake, drop some stuff off at the station, or bring it in tomorrow.” Buck laughs, “Yeah, I’ll give my platonic love out for you guys.” While the statement is laughed off mentally, she makes a list of ingredients to get on her way home.

“Oh, last thing, you totally didn’t get the snakes on a plane joke, did you?”

“Yeah, not quite sure what you meant by that.” Chim laughs and bumps her arm again, “I’m giving you homework tonight, if you’re doing nothing else with your night you’re going to watch snakes on the plane, it’s crucial”

“If it were crucial learning, I would’ve already seen it.” Buck says as she puts her kit away and climbs into the engine.

<__>

The house is quiet bar the soft little snores from the puppy pile of Krypto and Streaky. In his fight to achieve the most comfortable sleep Krypto has sprawled himself across Streaky and pinned him into sleeping too.

The two barely wake when Kara walks into the house, but she can see Krypto’s waging tail. The night falls with ease, like buck had told Chim she does spend a bit of time doing idle chores around the house, cleaning the litter tray and folding dry laundry before chucking her uniform into the basket.

In total her sad little Valentine’s day pity party takes half an hour, then she puts on her suit. Kara chuckles to herself thinking about Clark calling it impractical but Kara does care. Slips on her red thigh high pants, looping them across her waist with a tight yellow belt before letting another hang off some of the loops.

She then pulls her blue forearm length shirt over her head, the choppy ‘S’ prominent across her chest. Her cropped leather jacket slips on like a glove and her red thigh boots with gold accents hug tight to her skin for stability, she cringes at the thought of Diana in her heeled boots, but then again, she’s a true Amazon built for it. Lastly she places on her red gloves and disappears into her role.

When Kara leaves outside her back door she makes sure to check that Streaky and Krypto’s doggy door is working perfectly fine. The two are fine to go out since they aren’t really like human animals who hunt, preferring to stay either near her or near where Kara’s property is for food.

Kara takes a few steps to breathe in the Garden, the brittle winter winds pause blooming in most of her native bushes and flowers, but a few trees cling to their green, and Kara just breathes in the air pushing of the ground and rising high into the sky.

The dusk light causes a few arguments in the city. Kara breaks up a few potential knife fights and sits with a little girl who just got dumped. A little voice in her head wonders if she would’ve been doing this back on krypton too, helping people.

She listens into the frequency for dispatch and can’t here anything in need of her particular assistance, so she just sits around on the top of a Dunkin Doughnuts. A minute into her presence the staff bring a bag out of small bites, Kara is quick to not only apologize but to thank them.

With a mouth full of food, she hears Athena’s voice ring out a block away, shoving food in and running Kara unsurprisingly makes the trip in a matter of seconds. Athena is still in her car when Kara gently lands beside the passenger door.

They’re outside a hospital. “Hello Sargent Grant, how may I help you.” She smiles and the doctor next to her is looking shocked. “I have a organ here that I need to transport to Ceder’s, I need time on my side, and I think you have a lot of it.”

“Are they expecting you right now?” Kara asks taking the transport container from her hands. Athena looks at the doctor and they jump out of their frozen state to nod. “Right well, see you in a flash.”

Kara laughs to herself, hoping Wally and Dick would be proud of that one, just as time slows down around her and breaks several speeding laws to meet the woman waiting by the next hospital door. Her plate reads doctor Roggers.

Kara makes sure to land behind the Doctor in order for the wind to not shock them. It doesn’t quell the scream that is immediately shout down upon been handed the organ. In the same split time she makes it back to Athena.

“Was that all you needed Athena,” Kara asks, again making an effort to show up behind the two still standing out. While the other doctor also screams Athena has a calm poker face. “Yes, thank you Kara, I didn’t expect you to come so fast.”

“Buck follow her to her car, “you called, you used my real name with a shout, of course I would come.” Just as she is about to leave Athena, the dispatch crackles to life with a call for another house. Athena looks up, “I have a feeling you’re going to try and race me there.”

“No Athena, I’m going to meet you there.”

<__>

When Athena finally rocks up to the scene Athena walks with her to the door, filling Kara in on the situation. “We’re doing a welfare check; the neighbour heard a disturbance and wanted us to check in, I might with Melora yesterday, she seemed pretty nice then so I don’t know what would be different now.”

Kara nods and steps away allowing Athena to move first. As they approach the house Kara heckles are high, she can smell blood, she relays the same to Athena and they continue to knock, together. The door opens to a young woman with curled grown out dyed blonde hair.

“Hello Melora, it’s Sargent Grant again, sorry for this but I was asked to go through a welfare check at this residence. Is everything alright?” Melora smiles at the Sargent until her eyes track onto Kara standing beside her, then her whole face shifts through a variety of emotions until she settles on starstruck.

“Hi Melora, I was just in the area. I’m recent friends with Sargent Grant myself.” Kara says reaching out her hand for a shake, as Melora rushes to take it, the wine in her glass spills and covers Athena.

“Oh god, I’m so sorry, it’s been a tough night. Please come inside, I’ll get something to clean that right up,” The woman continues to ramble as Buck and Athena make eye-contact stepping into the place. The smell of blood hits her sinuses like stepping into a piss-soaked room.

Having been distracted by the smell before she can now hear the loud heartbeat of another person in the house. Something is wrong. She squeezes twice on Athena’s hand while Melora moves to grab Ammonia.

When Athena looks over kara starts to drag her over to the kitchen, miming and beating heart over her chest while looking down. Wordlessly Athena joins Kara’s search for a lever or hatch. Using her x-ray vision, she can see that there’s a cellar leading to where the young woman is tied up, across from her screaming and crying body there’s another bloody mess.

“So, you figured it out.” Melora says with eerie calm followed by the thud of the woman trying to hit Kara over the head with something only for it to break. “I don’t know what happened Melora, I know the story of just one bad day, but I can’t let you end more lives.” Kara says moving forward.

Then she sees the movement and taps into the speed force, watching as Melora pulls out a gun, immediately ripping it from the young woman’s hands. At the same time, she places the gun on the kitchen table and reaches on Athena’s belt for handcuffs while she watches in a slow speed as Athena reaches for her own weapon. She would’ve been too late.

“Then I’ll just hurt your…friend,” Melora tries to shout only to squirm in her shiny new cuffs. “Yeah, you see, I’m like really fast compared to you, so you might want to revisit your plans of world domination.”

Kara looks behind her back at Athena’s hackled position, “you good Sargent, because I think you have something to call in for dispatch, ask them if I can laser a hole in the wall for ease of extraction.”

Kara can’t hear Athena’s response over the sound of Melora’s deranged screaming but she does watch her press the button for contact and then give a thumbs up while picking the gun off the table and placing it into a plastic evidence bag.

“Thank you for your service Melora but I’m going to leave you on this floor here while I deal with our victim.” Kara says as Melora only replies in shouts. “Right well, Athena brace for impact, the room will be hotter, not just because of my presence.” She hears Athena laugh while she glares at the wall, providing precise cuts in a large enough outline.

The second victim’s name is Ashliegh, unlike Tad, she only has a couple of scraps and bruises, she’ll be fine. What Ashliegh does do upon being rescued is cling to kara like a leech. Kara can’t fault the woman for wanting to feel safe, but it gets a little awkward as Athena tries to take her victim’s statement and extracting her for the hospital.

As the scene gets tape up, Athena and her stand to the side. “You would be a really big help on the force you know?”

“I don’t do cop things, I don’t do drug bust or enforce the law, my cousin and I are glorified firefighters, we help in emergency and can be called for backup, but I’m not enforcing the law truly.”

“That’s a good analogy. You plan on putting the wisdom to use tonight with a nice partner Kara.”

“Oh, no, I’m flying solo this valentine’s day, then again I usually do that, so I wouldn’t say today is any different.” Athena hums and the two naturally part ways, with kara drifting off into the sky.

<__>

Kara’s night remains relatively simple for another hour before her actions, or inaction, catches up to her in the form of a very new to humanity, teenaged half-Kryptonian. “Conner, I’d recommend getting out of the shadows, you aren’t Batman, and you aren’t stealthy.”

“I could be Aunt Kara, if Clark would train me.”

“I’m not getting into this argument again. Your father won’t let me do it since I’m a little to trigger happy, you need to convince him yourself.”

“And how does one convince big blue to do anything. He has morals and right now I’m not in them.” Kara’s heart clenches as conner lets out an angry scream. “You manipulate him.”

Conner’s face possess doe eyes that widen in shock, they’re doing nothing for the cool and edgy persona he tried to build up. “Come, sit. This may be the only lesson I teach you, but when Clark is being stupid you don’t tell him that, you tell Lois or Bruce. Frankly right now I think it’s a bit bold to ask Lois for this, so Bruce it is.”

Kara pulls out her phone and dials the contact with a little bat symbol, it picks up in moments and Kara mines for Conner to be quiet. “Kara Zor El, you don’t often call me so what can I try to do for you?”

“Bruce, tell Clark he’s being stupid. That or just kidnap Conner and raise him as your own. I respect my cousin a lot but right now he’s creating a problem, the kid doesn’t really know how to use his powers or what he is fighting for, he’s a liability.”

She can feel Conner flinch next to him and grips his thigh so that he’ll stay. “I’ve been told that he is friends with my new robin. I will tell Clark that something needs to be or do so myself. Have a goodnight, Kara, happy valentine’s day.”

“Thank you, Bruce, say hi to Selina for me.” The line buzzes off with a grunt. “Rule one about manipulating Batman, treat what you want not as something human but as a mission and object, it makes your idea seem more logical no matter how dehumanising.”

When Kara looks across to assess the damage of the statement, she gets her arms full of the boy. “Thank you, Aunt Kara. I really didn’t think I would get anything.” She holds on tighter, right back, and pulls him in.

“You know, I’ve heard from a lot of people that they think you should be sporting my look,” Kara starts as Conner pulls away and they stand up, “since Clark’s properly getting the call about starting your boot camp soon, if you do well and graduate onto full time sidekick, I’ll hang up the leather jacket in your wardrobe.”

“But you look really good in it.”

“I know, and I have since I was 14, I think it’s time for something new, something brighter. But not a skirt, I don’t want to be fully exposed here.” The two laugh and share one last hug before Conner pushes off the roof and flies away. As Kara waves she thinks that this might just be her most successful Valentine’s yet.

Chapter Text

“Alright help coming through, make space, here we go” Buck says as she makes her way through the crowd of people surrounding one of the claw machines. She smiles just a little at the dumbfounded faces.

“Ok, just need everybody to move a little then we can just,” she twists her hand screw as she talks, unscrewing the screen door. The thing pops open. “Yay!” she says to herself as a little smiles back.

“Hello, little Miss. What trouble you’ve got yourself into, need a little help?” Buck tilts her head and opens her arms for the girl to crawl into. With the weight safely in her arms she gives a soft “I’ve got you,” whispered into her hair, before passing her along to her mother.

Tears threaten to well behind her eyes, the weight is so familiar. Kara had spent days back on Krypton’s poisoned, dying surface collecting the bodies of the youth.

“Well, you’ve been a brave girl. Here I’ve got a moo-moo for you.” The girl smiles when handed the soft toy and Buck doesn’t really care that it’s probably her place to do so. Locking the machine back up as the crowd disperse.

She runs back into Bobby when she eventually finds the exit of the area. “You didn’t want to come in and help captain, you do know that Hen and Chim are already separate from us tonight. It’s a full moon cap, think of the dangers.”

Buck’s mock outrage doesn’t seem to enlighten the cap the way she thought is would. “Buck, it’s just a superstition, the moon doesn’t add any danger other then what people think it.” Buck hums.

“That’s the danger cap, people will think it’s a special night and thus do stupid things. That and I think there is a little bit of something else to it.” Bobby scoffs, “I concede your first thought but the second is wishful thinking.”

“Bobby, we live on the same planet Earth as the Justice League. Zatanna famously exists as one of the world’s great protectors, you know, being a magician.

“I won’t disagree, you’re right. Just, I don’t think somebody is using their power to simply amplify the moon, that isn’t a thing.” Buck rolls her eyes, if she were dumber, she’d start listing all the dumb things she’d seen sorcerers do for ‘the vibe’.

<__>

Buck doesn’t get a moment to relax when the team arrives back to the firehouse, despite no call ringing out, because she can hear Athena calling for her. Well not for her, to get her to go to a location. Since she did her chores already and checked in with Bobby she slinks away to the locker room in record time.

She makes her way to some suburb town in record time and puts on her watch that rings with the fire house bell. Nobody is waiting for her but she hears panicked screams that kick in her flight or fight reflexes.

She kicks down the door to the house immediately and grabs the man with a knife by the throat. The man doesn’t even register he’s lost; he just keeps trying to stab at her impenetrable skin. Then the panic in his eyes subsides.

Then all Kara’s left with is the man’s shock face looking directly at her boobs, at her house symbol sprawled across her chest. Hope.

Kara just stands and waits, catching her breathe while the two women behind her do the same. It’s a pair of women young and old, cowering against one man. As if she can feel Kara’s gaze the younger one speaks up.

“He was my ex-husband,” in a quieter voice that Kara isn’t sure the women knows she can hear, “he used to abuse me.” Kara squeezes a little tighter, hearing the distinct choking sound before loosening again.

If she doesn’t know if she’s fighting for all victims here or just specifically Maddie. What Kara does know is that she’s picturing Doug’s face, watching his life fades by her hand. The feeling is consuming.

Then her watch beeps.

Using her super speed Kara searches the house for twine and a sticky note. She doesn’t tell the women she’s leaving, so saying hi to Athena, but surely the cop would understand she has to go. As she leaves in the frozen state of time, she smiles.

Kara Zor El could in fact do two things at once.

<__>

Bobby didn’t even register that Buck was gone. He nods when she gets into the captain’s car and finds her seat. Since the team is split up and spread out tonight it’s just the two of them again on this call.

Bobby drives, Buck doesn’t think she’ll ever get the hang of it, hell she barely ever uses her jeep except for appearances driving in, even if it takes forever.

“What kind of call have we got dispatch?” Buck calls into her mouthpiece, since Bobby’s driving it’s the safer option. “Mum’s yoga session, the patient’s name is Jackie, she’s nine months pregnant and is stuck in the lotus position.”

Pulling up to the building Buck stays on the line, “dispatch, which floor was the incident on?” there a distinct beep for a line switch before the female voice comes back. “Fourth floor, west wing, they’ve sent somebody to meet you at the floor elevator, just go straight in from the front doors and they should be there.”

“Thank you dispatch,” Buck says turning off the line and facing Bobby, “I think we’re going to need a lot of medical supplies, it’s a pregnant woman’s class, all final trimester, stress is going to put them into labour.”

Bobby nods and they start run walking to the elevator, a stretcher of supplies running between them. The elevator is surprisingly fast, and certainly the better option then stairs to get to the fourth floor.

Stepping out there is a pregnant woman to guide them to a side room. The view is spectacular and ruined by the women frozen solid. With no official medical training bar a few scenes, Buck watches as Bobby takes control.

“I think she’s slipped a disc, she’ll be feeling pain in her arms, legs and butt, so we’re going to reposition her carefully.” Buck is endlessly grateful for the way people go weightless in her arms, she remembers the strain of carrying people on Krypton and can’t help but wince for Bobby’s back.

They reposition her onto her back and carefully slide her onto an awaiting stretcher. The woman who led them in, Beth, then suddenly screams. “Sorry, sorry, I think I’m experiencing contractions.”

“Ok Beth, I need you to lie down on the ground for me, Buck get me some water and call for reinforcements.” Buck nods and reaches into one their backs while pressing the button for Dispatch. Just as she wraps up there’s sloshing sound.

“Cap, remember what I said before, I think we need to suit up.” Bobby nods as Buck tells the third woman to lie gently on the ground. She get’s out their pre-packaged clean latex gloves and grabs two of the floor pillows to prop up behind the woman.

“Alright, I’m sorry about this ma’am, but I’m going to have to cut your leggings and undergarments to make sure everything’s ok.” She smiles at the woman, and she just throws her head back, groaning in pain.

“Do it, god am I glad they allow female firefighters on the force now.” Buck chuckles while she can hear Bobby going through the same procedure with Beth. “When you’re all good, I think I would go give your condolences to Beth then.”

“Oh no, that man has such Dad energy, I’m saying I wouldn’t want a young man.” Buck admires how the woman laughs and smiles through the pain. “Alright Ms, I need you to push here, you’re really dilatated so I’m going to guess you’ve been pushing through the pain?”

The woman nods and grips onto the floor, screaming. Buck can see the head and uses her hands to reach in and carefully take the baby. She knows exactly how little force to apply having been the one to help while on Krypton, against her father’s better judgement.

“There we go, what a healthy baby,” Buck says as she wraps the new one in a blanket. She takes off her gloves and bins them as another woman goes into labour. “I knew I shouldn’t have had this session on a full moon.” Jackie bemoans from her stretcher.

“We’ve got this Jackie, and it’s highly likely that this is simply happening because the women are stressed, no curse.” Bobby laughs from across the room as Buck gets new gloves and moves to position.

They deliver three new babies and a woman on a stretcher to the hospital with the help of another medical unit. “So, I see you were talking about the science of these full moon moments, so I guess that’s it done for you.”

“No Bobby, I was calming a patient, as my captain you should know the difference and be very proud of me for my adherence to protocol and calm head in a high-pressure situation.”

“I am proud, I told you kid, you’re going to be a good firefighter, now get in the engine, we have another call”

“Don’t call me kid cap, I just delivered two babies, wouldn’t call that a children’s activity.” Buck jokingly replies, she knows the man means well. She knows that he knows her limits and capabilities.

<__>

The next stop is a nice house in a suburbs, not exactly what Buck was thinking when Bobby described the situation as two guys being idiots. Meeting the men is no different. How the two dumbasses could afford the place Buck will never know but she does giggle a little at the man seated on the toilet trying not to hurl.

“What seems to be the issue here Conner?” Bobby asks the patient, Kara can clearly visulise her Conner in the exact same situation. “Stomach issues, I’m in a lot of pain and it’s just not passing.”

As Bobby tries to diagnose the problem, trying to get the man to pass gas Buck finds herself digging in the trash. “Paul, do you two eat a lot of sushi?!” the man turns confused, “Yeah, the rice is really good for gut fibre and building protein.”

“yeah, I know, and you picked the right brand to get the organic and healthy stuff.” Buck goes to talk more, then Bobby interrupts. “Buck, what does this have to do with the patient?”

“I think he’s got a tape worm, if we can just gentle move him, we should be able to see it moving around,” she says as the two of them work to move him onto his back and onto the stretcher. There the wormy parts stick up from the man’s skin and the two scream while Bobby looks like he’s about to puke.

“Cap, we should get him to the hospital. You drive, come on Paul, you’re with us.” The two men nod and Bobby and Buck lead pushing Conner into the Captain’s engine. Five minutes into the drive, running and IV and making sure Conner’s not into much pain she sees movement.

“I think we’ve got company,” Buck says as she pushes conner onto his stomach, hiking up one of his legs to get better leverage. “I’m going to pull this thing out of you; Paul don’t puke back here. I will kick you out onto the road.”

Paul responds by turning away while Conner whimpers. By the time the engine stops at the hospital Buck’s got an armful of worm trapped in a contain to pass to the doctors, and two very disgusted young men, and one old man staring in horror.

“That was awful,” Bobby states on the drive back. “It was a fun last call for the day, I’m not really that mad.”

“You pulled a tape worm out of a man.”

“Yeah it was interesting.”

“Just, just go enjoy your night after you wrap up all the cleaning.”

“Got it Bobby,” Buck says while smiling, Bobby nods his head with approval before stopping her. “I was impressed by your handling of the situation.”

“Thank you, I’m coming for your job next with the way you looked about to throw up.” They both laugh while Buck packs up and hops in her Jeep to return home. She returns to an excited Krypto and a sleeping Streaky.

“You want to go on a bit of a walk?” Krypto Barks back just as Kara hears her name ring through the LA night sky. Athena. “Well come on Krypto, we got to go help.”

<__>

What Kara expects to see when she flies onto the scene is not Hen, Chim, Athena and a man being a cannibal, but she guesses that this is what she gets for giving out her name to a once stranger.

At superspeed Kara takes the handcuffs off of Athena’s hands and restrains man before leaving him handcuffed on the floor. Athena and Hen are looking expectantly above her when she lets go of the speed force.

“Hello Sargent, you called again.” Kara says with a little smirk. “Twice in one night, getting a little desperate here.” While Athena matches her energy by laughing with her typical level of exuberance Hen is instead staring at Kara wide eyed like and alien. Or well, Kara is an alien so it’s a little fair.

Then she looks to her left and can see Krypto hovering in the air next to her, chewing on the edge of her leather jacket. “Sorry, about him, he’s a little restless.”

“I’m glad you came, not sure what’s up with the cannibal. But since we’ve got him my friend Hen can take a look.” Athena replies taking a moment to reach out as Krypto sniffs her hand for a lick. Kara nods and steps away as Hen tentatively goes down to examine. “So, this is the famous Hen, you been opening up Athena?”

Athena rolls her eyes, “low blow to ask in front of her, but I am in fact working on it.” Kara hums, “So how did you find Mr. Cannibal here? Why did you call me about it? I feel like you’re a capable woman.”

“Kara, I call ed you because I trust you. I didn’t want to kill this man who I think based on Hen’s assessment…”

“He’s just having a really weird reaction to sensing salts, Romerez will get him to the hospital, and we’ll circle on to our next call.” Hen calls out proving Athena sentence while a guy Kara recognises from her team lifts the man onto a stretcher.

“You didn’t want to kill a man for doing nothing, so you called in a tank to barrel him over.”

“You’re not a tank; I’d call you my very fast police dog thank you very much, and given your partner in crime tonight, I’d say I’m right” Kara very lightly shoves Athena shoulder and Krypto barks in what Kara is hoping is protest.

“Right, well you know what you’re going to do for me since I’ve helped you twice, you’re going to have that conversation now, be an adult about it. Open up.”

“You know you remind me of another annoying young adult I know. Buckley also has a weird obsession with people communicating their thoughts and feelings, I feel you two would get along.”

Kara squirms at the sound of her own nickname. “Right, well if I ever meet this Buckley figure, I’ll be sure to tell them they come recommended as a friend.” Athena huffs, she goes to turn while Kara almost pushes off into the sky, then there’s a hand on her leather jacket.

“Thank you for helping earlier with the other home, somebody had just gotten murder tonight, you wouldn’t have heard them scream as their pleads were muffled when she died, but you did manage to save two women, thank you.”

“How did you know that the murder was going to be there, how did you know I was going to show up for you? I am busy during the day, I may not have heard.”

“I know, I trusted you, but I was going to show up anyway, I simply took the split-second brain energy to ask you to show up first. But I didn’t figure out where they were going to be, a member of dispatch did. Abby Clarke, normally I wouldn’t say where to find them to a stranger but you are the paragon for good and hope, so I’d go to the metro dispatch and ask there if you’re looking for somebody to thank tonight.”

“Thank you, Athena, enjoy the rest of your full moon shift, I’ve already heard from Buck that she’s had to deliver four babies at once.”

“Wait you know Buck?” Kara giggles, “Awe, Athena did you think you were getting my special attention?” Athena instead shouts back to Hen and Chimney. “You two, did you know that your little probie is friends with Superwoman?”

“That sounds like such a Buck thing to do.” Hen says pinching the bridge of her nose while Chimney just nods, “well yeah, she visited while I was out after my surgery, and Superman visited when I was up and recovering.”

“I met your fire captain first when I visited and met Buck on my second visit.”

“You visited multiple times while I was out!”

“Yes, of course I needed to make sure you were fine, now I have to go thank dispatch, but Hen, I would recommend hounding Athena about the things she hasn’t told you yet.”

“Athena…” Hen says with a turn, while Athena lets go of the Jacket and pets Krypto one last time, “Thank you Superwoman, have the night you deserve. Give your darling dog some nice cuddles for me”

<__>

Kara knows it’s a little sketchy and a lot illegal, but she uses Batman’s identifier to find Abby Clarke. When she finds the apartment building, and finds the right floor, she can’t help but feel sad for the woman. She tells Krypto to stay on the roof and takes of photo of he’s sprawled position before she floats down.

Kara can feel the slow heartbeat of a dying woman in the room over from the balcony she’s waiting at. She can hear the soft pattering of two people moving around the house, she can smell the lingering effect of mourning.

In the lull of noise Kara knocks on the glass window. She stands back expecting the poor reaction from both the women. While the older white woman screeches like a banshee, there’s a black woman staring at her with unbridled mirth.

“Hello, I’m looking for an Abigail Clarke.” Kara says through the glass. Luckily this woman has never been introduced to the concept of stranger danger as she simply lets Kara into the building.

“Hi, I’m Abby. What can I help you with.” The woman still looks shocked. “I just wanted to thank you, for working dispatch. Athena called me to Nora Jane’s house before she could potentially become a murder victim. I listen to dispatch a lot and hear your good work, so thank you for the assistance in helping save lives.”

Abby is frozen solid, but the other nudges beside her. “We’ll that is just wonderful praise, especially coming from a legend like you Superwoman. By the way, I’m Carla, in case your gorgeous figure wanted to be introduced.”

“I did, it’s lovely to meet you too, don’t think your work goes unnoticed either. May I get your card, I have a feeling one of my friends would appreciate it.”

“Your super friends?” Abby asks, speaking up for the first time with a faint blush coating her face. “No, just normal friends, like you two and Athena. Don’t worry, I would sick any of those idiots onto you.”

Both women laugh and then an older woman comes out of one of the bedrooms. She’s dressed in an old dressing robe and body smells like decay, days away. As Carla goes to deal with her Abby looks apologetic.

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“She’s not dead yet.”

“But you already mourn, that is a loss.” Kara can see tears in Abby’s eyes as she leads her back out to the balcony. “I lost my mother to Krypton’s version of cancer; there was no cure. I mourned my mother for many moons; I mourned what was the destiny of my life to embrace the new future given to me. And you do the same.”

Kara fiddles with the business card in her hand for Carla. “When was the last time you took a break Abby, I know you don’t want to give up, but sometimes that’s all that’s left.”

Chapter Text

Hen’s been acting weird since her and Chim’s full moon shift. To be fair Chim had been acting weird as well, but he broke done his problem immediately, asking about how she knew Superwoman.

“We’ve fucked.” Buck said with no remorse as Bobby and Chim both went to drink from glasses of water. Their wide-eyed expressions paired with Hen’s choaking laughter had made her day. Nobody in the fire house asked her about it again, frankly Buck was disappointed in her colleagues.

Nonetheless, it hasn’t been long since the shift and Hen is still acting shifty. When Athena comes around to the firehouse, she too has made comments to Buck about Hen. Somehow Buck now has the woman’s number and is being invited into group chats.

Anyway, the fire engine of the 118 has been driving for a bit to get to the call, a man’s been shot, but for some reason when everybody heard the location and saw the view, they’d all said good riddance. Hen was quiet.

“Hen and Chimney, go look after the man. I’ll try to figure out how our…friend…got shot, Buck you’re with me.” Bobby says as they get out of the engine. In these moments Buck’s extra glad Chimney made the recovery since she doesn’t want to be hounded by Hen’s medical eye.

“What happened last time you guys were here?” Buck asks as she walks up to clearly dying tree. “the man’s wife hung herself, we found marks on her arms that suggested abuse.” Every time the word pops up now, all Buck can think about is Maddie. But Maddie doesn’t want her help, so she swallows her rage and bile.

“Now, the man was blowing up the tree since it was dying and infected, we just don’t know how he was shot.” Buck hums and steps closer to the tree looking down at the bark around her until she can see it.

“You’re right it wouldn’t make sense, unless he was already shooting bullets into the tree,” She says brandishing a silver bullet that was left inside another part of the tree, “seems like our victim is instead a victim of karma, and I can’t exactly say I’m rooting for him. I am grateful we got called out here though, I mean, look at that view.”

It’s early morning and the sun is peaking out over the horizon. Buck’s excited for the day; Chimney supposedly has a surprise approved by Bobby. In the distance she can clearly hear Chimney and hen packing up and using the stretcher for the man with him.

“Yes, the man certainly got his karma, I think we all will one day, for all the good and all the bad we’ve done.” The two walk side by side to the engine. Kara thinks of the dying planet she left before to crumble and be consumed by the black hole, and the hundreds of criminals she’s killed in her alcoholic rage, she doesn’t doubt her karma will be swift and judgemental

Unbeknownst to her Bobby is thinking of the many dead due to his actions and inaction. Of his wife and children, buried in Minnesota in a grave he can’t bring himself to visit, while Kara dreams of one she will never see again.

Before they can get anybody in the man start hemorrhaging. Hen keeps trying everything in her arsenal to resuscitate the man but as the flatline keeps beeping she lets her hands goes and gets off his body.

“I guess Karma really is a bitch.”

<__>

When Chimney said they’d be a surprise waiting for them in the station after visiting the morgue the entire station was expecting a thank you cake for his recovery or literally anything else then a blood drive.

“After experiencing my traumatic accident, I needed 10 pints of blood to stay alive. I don’t know what I would’ve done otherwise, so, I thought I’d pay that forward with all of you.”

“And Cap agreed to this?” Hen says with a shocked expression, hands on hips. Buck doesn’t exactly get what’s wrong with the blood drive, she can’t participate but it’ll be fun to watch. “Yes, of course I approved Hen, why wouldn’t I, it’s a good cause.”

“Cap, usually the person who approves has to participate.” Hen says tilting her head, crossing her arms and giving her trademark judgemental eyebrow. “No, that is not a rule Hen.”

“Wait Cap, are you saying you’re not going to donate.” Chimney exclaims while flinging around his clipboard. “I don’t have good experiences; I tend to faint.” He says while describing a routine check-up gone wrong.

“Cap, come on everything is going to be fine, I mean I won’t be donating, but I saw can hold a mean clipboard and make sure you get your snack.” Chimney huffs, crossing his arms now while Hen herself settles into her chair and Bobby looks like he’s going to make a run for it.

“Buck, you have to donate too.”

“Can’t Chim, I recently donated, but I will hold a clipboard.” She says pulling out a Wayne industry approved card, they don’t need to know the blood would be for her in case of emergence and stored in the very safe Watchtower.

“Wow, I didn’t realise that was a thing you do.” Hen says from her chair, Bobby pointedly doesn’t look at her. “Yeah, no I had an accident a while back that needed blood, so like Chim I thought I’d pay it forward.” More she’s thinking ahead.

“Alright then, Bobby, it’s just you and since you approved you’ve got to go, and no Buck we’re not giving your manic arse the board.”

“Worth a shot,” Buck says smiling now at a panicked Bobby.

“Chimney,” Bobby says lowly before succumbing to the man’s pleading puppy eyes. Despite Chimney being well into his thirties Buck is amazed at how well he does it. When Bobby finally gets into his chair Buck whispers to the view technician.

“Alright Bobby, lets commemorate this moment with a smile.” While keeping his body steady Buck angles his face away from where his arm is, allowing the nurse the time to properly administer the needle.

Buck takes the photo at the exact moment Bobby feels the prick and the nurse already has his hands on bobby’s arms pinning him down. “Now, Captain, that wasn’t too bad. If I don’t say so myself.”

“That was very risky Buck.”

“I talked to our nurse friend,” she replies while high fiving the nurse, “and clearly, you needed to not see it happen for it to work. You’re just psyching yourself out for no reason.”

“It was still risky,” Bobby says as he allows the blood to be taken. “Don’t worry Bobby, I’ll keep my risky moves to when we’re on call.”

Bobby lets out and exaggerated sigh and places his head in his free hand. While he’s being dramatic Buck thinks it’s just the easiest way for him to not look at the needle.

<__>

Their next call happens with enough time for the blood drive to be packed up, the firehouse successfully completing Chimney’s goal.

“I don’t know if the smell is really that bad or I’m still a little off after giving blood but that might just be the worst smell I’ve ever smelt.” Romerez says as he quickly escapes the room. Buck laughs at the comment watching the man get to safety outside of the building and by the engine.

“Right, well, no matter how bad the smell is, Buck, we’ve got do our jobs.”

“Did you hear me complain?” Buck says with a raised eyebrow. Bobby nods and the two grab their chosen equipment to pry the lid of this tanning bed off, having already cut the power. “Carrie, how long did you say he was in there for?”

“Three hours.”

“Right, so cap I don’t think we’re going to be expecting a live body.” Bobby nods, “No, but Hen and Chimney need to be on standby for if he is alive. Alright Buck, stand with me. We’re popping this sardine can in three…two..one.”

Buck can clearly see the power imbalance in the way their two sides of the tanning bed lid bend, hers almost broken off in the way it’s bent. Then as soon as it happens, she registers Chimney’s confused arm trying to move her body to the side. It takes a bit for her to remember to bend under human hands, it takes her longer to remember to breathe at regular human intervals.

The smell is worse with the lid open; the smell is so much worse with heightened Kryptonian senses.

“He’s blinking cap, But I think he might be having a stroke, I’m using the defibrillator.” Chimney says but Buck can see Carrie huff. “Anything to say there concerned citizen?”

“Barry’s been using steroids, I think that’s actually paralysed him.” Hen nods, “The defibrillator will work anyway, I’m going to start compressions.”

“God, I don’t even know why you bother saving him,” Carrie says loud enough for the room, “The man is awful, he brought his dog in his car yesterday during the heat and left her there for three hours, poor thing had stroke.”

At the same time as Carrie’s complaining Hen presses down on Barry’s stomach and her hands come off peeling flesh off his body. Carrie throws up on the floor and Chim turns off the machine, while Bobby tries to look anywhere else.

Personally, Kara saw worse on Krypton years ago, and clearly Hen and Chim have seen worse on this job alone. “I think the three hours did him in.” Buck says while crossing her arms, “I’ll get a body bag.”

“I guess Karma really is a bit-”

“Oh god that is so disgusting!” Buck hears Chim say interrupting Hen’s comment. Thank god it’s the last shift of the day, Buck doesn’t think she can truly stomach more of that smell, and it will only ferment on her uniform if she doesn’t wash.

<__>

The next day at work is truly no better for Buck. Now instead of just Hen acting shady there’s some sort of beef between Bobby and Chimney that she came in too late to miss. At least with Hen she can back the woman into a corner to talk

“Hen, don’t bullshit me,” Buck starts as they’re the only ones in the woman’s locker room. “I know something is up with you right now, and I know something is up with Bobby and Chim, while we have time, you’re either going to give me a run down of both situations or just yours.”

“You know last call was also Karma theme, so I guess Karma’s following us. There was some lady being a Porch thief who got injured when stealing.”

“I already know Hen, not only did Athena text me saying she thought I would enjoy the connection, but she also me if I also thought she should get out there and fuck, don’t worry I obviously said yes. Now tell me about you.”

“I cheated on Karen.” Hen says with a dejected sigh putting her head fulling into her hands and collapsing in on herself. “With who?”

“The who doesn’t matter!” Hen cries, but she looks away, telling Buck it most certainly does.

“Hen, I know you wouldn’t just cheat with someone, why were they special.”

“It was Eva, she’s my ex and Denny’s mother. She was a drug addict and went to prison which gave Denny to Karen and I, btu now she’s trying to get parentage by saying we have an unstable home.”

“Because you do.” Hen glares at her. “No, Hen you do. When were you going to tell Karen if this hadn’t come up? Are you going to couple’s counselling? Have you even told Denny what’s happening? Let me tell you everyone in this firehouse knows something is wrong, without Karen adding tenfold, that kid knows something is wrong.”

“So, what, I’ve fucked up my entire life with this, I already know that.”

“No Hen. Yes, you fucked up, but this won’t destroy everything if you just talk to Karen.”

“She won’t even look at me, and we’re both hiding behind Denny to stop any arguments.”

“Well obviously stop doing that, but I can come over lock you two in a room so you can talk while I look after Denny if you really need that push.”

“Buck…thank you, I really do need that.” Buck opens her arms for a hug, and when she hears a knock on the locker door she calls them to come in. “Wait, Hen’s giving out free hugs now.”

“Girl talk Chim, you know, who’s the hottest woman you know.” With absolutely no hesitation Chim replies, “Superwoman. Though I don’t think the blonde really does it for me.” Buck finds herself in a puddle of giggles after that.

“Hey, don’t laugh. The hottest person is meant to be your wife or someone unobtainable.”

“Chimney, again, I’ve slept with Superwoman, she is not unobtainable.” Hen raises her head from Buck’s arms. “God, I always forget that she’s the only person I know you’ve slept with, what on Earth is your taste.”

“I think not being on Earth is part of her taste Hen.”

“You know what I meant, now since I did my emotional reveal, what’s going on with you and Bobby?” Chim collapses onto the bench like he owns the place and Hen and Buck make contact before rolling said eyes.

“I just told the man he has lifesaving plasma, and he does not seem happy about it.” Before Buck can ask further the alarm bell rings and they’re all out to do their job.

<__>

“So, we’re looking for a loose tiger?” Chimney asks as he takes off his travel sunglasses in his classic dramatic Hollywood fashion. “Yeah, Cap I can’t say this exactly seems smart?” Hen pipes up her eyes still a little red rimed.

“That’s what Dispatch called me for.” Athena says as she too pull a cool slow motion action shot getting off a ranger’s car. “The Zoo’s been evacuated, now we’re going in to get the tiger. Dispatch says it should be near the giraffe exhibit so we’re going to split up and circle around.”

Everybody nods and grabs their gear. Since Buck already knows exactly where it is, and since she invulnerable, she makes a mad dash for the enclosure the second she’s out of sight. As she gets closer, she can see its beauty so clearly.

“Hey there gorgeous, nice weather we’re having.” Buck instigates in an effort to get the animal off of their victim Sean. She can already tell he’s bleeding from minor cuts, but nothing serious, Buck thinks she pulled the tiger off before anything bad happened.

As the tiger approaches Buck stays low. It inches closer and closer. Buck holds out her hand steadfast and the predator takes and sniff before leaning into her touch. Buck is endlessly glad the tiger seems to like her since she wouldn’t want it hurt trying to claw at her skin.

“Yeah, that’s right sweetheart, everything’s all right. Awe do you like that place behind your ear, don’t worry Streaky does too. And Krypto but his opinion doesn’t count right now.”

Following the pats the tiger collapses into Buck’s lap and starts rolling for a belly scratch, just like Streaky. Then the tiger lets out a loose growl to his surroundings, forcing Buck to look up. She’s met with Hen’s wide eyes and Chimney’s slow and deliberate movements as he gets Sean’s body out of the way.

Buck continues to pat and calm the animal while she uses her X-ray vision to try and find Athena and the ranger. The two are standing off to the side in a bush and Buck takes the time to gently roll the tiger into position at a reasonably human pace.

She makes direct eyes contact with Athena and mouths take the shot while removing her hand from the tigers fur. He panics for a moment at the presence of the tranquillizer, but it acts fast. Buck has to wiggle to get the whole thing off her lap and Bobby looks thunderous.

“Buckley, what on Earth were you thinking?”

“It was an accident, I got to the scene first and turned a corner too quickly, it spotted me and for some reason liked me.” Buck says lying through her teeth like a charlatan. She’s grateful that the victim is well and truly out of hearing range for her lies since he most certainly would know.

“Okay, sorry for assuming. Just, be careful Buck, we do care you know? I know you said last shift you’d keep the recklessness for calls, do try to keep it to the minimum.”

“Don’t worry Bobby, we both know I wasn’t really expecting that, may be next time there’s an animal on the loose we pair up to take it down.” Bobby smiles and squeezes her shoulder, it’s warm and comforting.

As Bobby walks away and Hen and Chim are gone Athena walks up. “White girl, you gave me half a scare. I quite like you, although I think this would be on your top ten ways to die, I would rather you not try to kill yourself quite yet.”

“No promises Athena. How’s the divorce going along? Did you get some?” Buck says shifting the conversation away from how she did it rather abruptly. “Girl, it has barely been an hour since you approved off my choice of night activities, who would I meet.”

“A bad boy criminal duh, but seeing as you clearly haven’t may I suggest going to a bar and looking hot. You told me Michael has the kids, right? Well now it’s time for you to have a night on the town, trust, it’s all coming together.”

“I’ll take your advice, but I think you’re crew is backing up. So, time to go little firefly.”

“Athena that is a Batman villain. Wrong city, but yeah, I’m going to go, call me if anything happens, hell call Superwoman.”

“I still think it’s a little weird that you also know Kara. Don’t gossip about me behind my back.”

“Athena, I promise you I’m not talking to Kara, I keep everything to myself.” Buck says, as if she’s not Superwoman. Before Athena can say anything, else Bobby calls out and the 118 move onto their next shift.

Chapter Text

“So, I guess we’re going dumpster diving now Cap?” Chim asks into our earmuffs over the sound of our blaring sirens. “We’re going to need to hurry Chim, dumpsters have 2000 psi, which means, if this man is truly in one, he could be drowning in trash or his body crushed.”

Everybody turns to look at Buck, including the recently more subdued Hen. “In this moment I’m grateful you know that because adds importance to our mission, but Buck I am seriously concerned about you now.”

“I like to google things, is that such a crime?”

“It is when I make movie references, and you look dumbfounded, surly some of that research time could go into watching movies.”

“there are so many bad movies I’d have to sift through, and so many weird ‘classics’, there’s no amount of information, with appropriate sourcing, that wouldn’t be good to know.”

“Team, stop hounding Buck for her weird hobbies,”

“I wouldn’t call it a hobby cap, I still need to find one,”

“Right well what I was going to say is we’re here.” Looking to their side the Bintruck has pauses at the dumpster and the cogs are moving. Despite the constant beeping of the horn the man is still pouring trash onto the homeless man.

“Buck, go intercept.” Bobby says still honking the engine horn. From her position on the side door Buck runs up to the window of the man’s truck and breaks the window in one punch before reaching over and putting the truck into park and taking out the keys.

“All good cap.” Buck says while giving a thumbs up and clasping the keys tightly. She watches Hen and Chim make their way to the trash pile and start calling out for the man. Then she hear the tell-tale snap and crunch of a hand breaking.

“Hey! You can’t hit my firefighters!” Bobby yells at the same time the man falls to his knees in agony. Bobby does register as he picks up the man and pins him against his own truck. Buck grabs his shoulder.

“Bobby, the man’s already in enough pain. He didn’t land it properly and his wrist is broken. Look at it!”

The disgusting this is hanging limp, and if Buck hadn’t seen enough dreadful injuries on the bats, then she may have thrown up. Bobby eases his hold.

“I don’t care that wrist is broken, you just tried to assault my worker. We’ll take you to the hospital, when we get the man out of your garbage that we were warning you about.”

“Bobby!” Hen calls out with urgency, “There’s nobody here.”

“What, how can there be nobody? Did we get the wrong truck?”

At the same time as Boby’s question the coms cackle. Abby’s voice is distinct, Kara now tuning into her calls more frequently on patrol. “118, Sargent Grant has found your truck, it was one of two, you got the wrong draw.”

“Thank you dispatch, we’re also calling in a break wrist, the truck owner we pulled aside decided to assault one of my firefighters and failed spectacularly so he needs to be sent to the hospital.”

“I’ll call it in, please head to Athena’s location first, he’ll last.”

Abby is right when the crew get to the next truck the rest of the rescue is simple, just a matter of tipping out garbage. Buck is grateful that Athena intercepted this time as she didn’t want another person to be victim to Kara being catch unaware and not loosening her skin.

As Hen and Chim pull the man out and check that he’s fine, Chim and Romerez hop in the ambulance and take the previous truck drive to the hospital, Buck can already see the clean break using her X-ray vision, then Athena rocks up.

“Hello Sargent, are you going to make it a habit to approach me after calls?”

“I heard you got assaulted, you need to stay here for a bit so I can file an incident report.”

“Tit for tat, while I sign, you’re going to tell me something interesting Athena.”

“I don’t really have anything particularly interesting to tell you about, well aside from the man I met a few nights ago.”

Buck’s head snaps to attention like a dog with a bone. Athena merely taps the forms. Buck writes lightning fast, for a human. “There, now you don’t get this until you tell me what happened.”

“I went to that bar you recommended, we had met before on a call, he was just there, and he decided to come up and ask for a drink, I ran a background check, we laughed. Nothing big.”

“Nothing else,” Buck asks knocking shoulders with her. “No, I kept things strictly casual, I don’t need a hook up.”

“Athena, I mean well when I say this but, boo, you prude. I know hookup culture is weird and annoying, and you’re a grown woman who probably is looking for something special, believe me, I know, but, you’re coming out of a divorce, get that dick, it’s what your ex-husband is doing.”

From behind Hen rings the largest laugh and joins them on the engine’s step. “’Thena, I’m agreeing with Buckley, even if I think she’s pretty much a nun since she refuses everybody I offer. Just get that guy, his background is clean so go for it.”

“Fine, I’ll ask tonight,” Both Hen and Buck high-five, “Now, Hen what’s up with you. I know about what’s happening but is there any progression.”

Seeing Hen’s nerves rising Buck takes her hand, giving it a light squeeze. “I took Buck’s advice, sat Denny down in his room to do homework and just dragged Karen into a conversation. Things were said but we’re going to couples counselling.”

“That’s good, it’ll look really strong in the lawsuit and be really good for you.”

“If you’re looking for a therapist, I don’t recommend dr Glass, she just took Micheal’s side the entire session and refused to let me talk, let me tell you I think that set me back a lot.”

A throat clears in front of us. “Hello ladies, Athena may I get my firefighters back and request that you remove yourself from my engine.” Athena smiles and dramatically steps off the engine, “at your command my liege.”

“Oh, here Athena, my form. Now go out and get dick down.” All three women laugh while Bobby stews in his ample regret. “I should’ve kept Romerez.”

“Romerez would’ve been on our side.” Buck and Hen say at the same time as they buckle into the engine. “lord, what did I do to deserve this.”

<__>

The next call isn’t so happy. Kara doesn’t really know how she got to this point, pretending to drown.

The 118 had been called out again an hour after the dumpster to Wilshire Bedford Medical Center. The call certainly wasn’t routine, two people trapped in a sinking elevator, but nothing should’ve gone wrong.

The car dropped from floor 4 to the basement’s third floor, evacuated due to flooding. Since the team couldn’t enter from below Bobby had sent Chim for the winch to lift both Buck and Hen down to get the two, one unconscious from the fall.

It really happened so quickly, she had realised that the water was dragging them down in a suction situation, and that Hen and Her would need harnesses to bring up the people. Bobby had argued but dropped the cord when Hen agreed.

Buck watched the little boy get rescued along side his mother. Then her cord snapped. She couldn’t fly to save herself, so she let herself get sucked into the flooded elevated, the weird suction process pushing her in the basement.

Now Buck has five minutes to get out for her cover not to be blown. In reality she could so easily get out of here.

She tries not to think about the price when she shucks off her heavy rescue gear, pulling for the small flashlight on the jacket so that she can shine it into the water and find the stairs. Everything’s a little distorted by the water but she swears she can hear footsteps following her, her team coming to find her.

The water is freezing cold, and Buck doesn’t really think there’s anything healthy in the murky waters. She just keeps swimming until she finds the stairs. The flashlight reflects off them in a weird way, btu the footsteps are getting closer.

So, she swims harder, and for once, she does think she wants to live, she wants to keep this life. The surface gets closer and closer, and she throws her flashlight out first, met with the sound of commotion.

When she does get out it’s far less grateful then one would expect, she just flops likes and fish and rolls onto her back so she can breathe in and out again, another person would probably be choking out water, but Kara is fine.

She’s pulled out of her calm by Hen and Chimney. They’re using a stethoscope to measure her heartbeat, and a small flashlight to check for a concussion. Normally she’d throw them off, btu she understands it’s not only necessary but how they care.

“You scared us there Buck, why didn’t you say the line was fraying?” Chimney asks as he helps her stand. “I hadn’t noticed,” she breathes out in response.

Then Bobby comes up and looks stern. Chimney detaches himself and Buck readies herself for the critique. “I didn’t know Bobby, I’m sorry for ditching the heavy gear, it was the only way I could swim faster,” It wasn’t but it was a logical human response.

He doesn’t yell just hugs her, sinking to the ground. Both Hen and Chim join. “Buckley, that’s your last call for the day, I understand it wasn’t your fault, you’re not in trouble, you just have had a stressful day.”

Buck would laugh at the irony of the man knowing her so well to tell her she’s not in trouble, but she squashes it down to say thanks and bask in the moment.

<__>

When Kara gets home her hair is still wet from taking a shower, but her clothes are thankfully clean. When Krypto comes up to sniff, he gives the biggest head shake before he turns head to ass away from the smell of that basement water.

The action is all it takes for Kara to walk herself back into the shower and use her normal scented products instead of just water. Kara would not trust the station’s soap farther then she could throw it.

Her movements aren’t sluggish but slow compared to her normal pace, instead of enjoying every minute in the speed force she lets the time pass as she sinks into her bath. The sun hasn’t even set, and it’s certainly not time for dinner yet when she gets out.

She does her normal hair curling routine and picks up her normal late-night book. Nothing is really exciting. Nothing is interesting the way it was on Krypto. Time doesn’t pass the way Kara used to experience it, Earth’s years are shorter, but the days pass the same.

It doesn’t take much for Kara to ditch the book. She doesn’t really want to read a killer fantasy after almost drowning herself in a hospital basement. So, she walks to the spare bedroom, or well as the days go on her hobby room.

She’s tried knitting, singing, sewing and now reading. She’s probably tried every sport when she was a kid, but due to her powers nothing really gives her that rush anymore. Well, firefighting does, but that’s because she has to think and plan.

The job reminds her of being a general back on Krypton. She hadn’t been one for long, and her legacy on that planet and every other would not be the young general. Lost in thought while putting her book away, Kara brushes against something.

Ironically, they’re brushes.

“I guess, I know what I’m going to do today.” Kara says and Krypto responds in kind, having come to inspect the noise. Since Wayne was buying Kara bought a nice set of oil paints, goat’s hair brushes and a mahogany easel.

She bought the best of everything, away she could always donate it to someone in need if the hobby didn’t end up working, which happened to the yarn and needles donated to the elderly center.

Kara sets up the easel in and few seconds, using the attached sideboard to lay down her palette. Then she just stares. For seconds, for minutes, she just stares at the empty canvas.

Kara started this mission to find a hobby not as a skill but something enjoyable. If she’s not having fun she just stops. The thing is, Kara’s been holding off on painting for months since May suggested it.

Back on Krypton her home was littered with canvases. It was a skill kara had learnt from her mother before her passing. She painted arbitrary fields of flowers and abstract colours. Sure, she did portraiture, but it didn’t call to her then, now it’s all Kara wants to do.

She doesn’t lift a brush to canvas but rather a pencil, outlining the shape of the place that haunts her dreams. It takes al least half an hour in the speed force to truly capture each isolated shape and detail.

She pours a mix of orange and purple paints on her palette and then takes them to the primed canvas. The sky comes together exactly how she remembers it, a colour she can only find on rare days when the sun sets just right.

Kara steps away from the canvas when the background colours are done. To get proper arm control on the rest of the canvas she will have to let it dry. It’s why Kara drew herself to oil colours, it’s pacing.

And the piece, the piece holds the outline of Krypton’s central palace. The place most Kryptonians died in the initial collapse.

She’s spent long enough on the background that she can now see the dusk on the horizon, sure it’s turning into Autum, but it’s late enough to start patrol. As she gets her gear on, and pulls out Krypto’s cape, Kara takes one last look at the work and smiles.

<__>

She’s been on patrol for 2 hours when she gets the call from Athena. It doesn’t come from her house and there’s a second heartbeat with her, but from what Kara can hear as she gets closer, neither is in big danger, they’re both laughing.

They’re at and nondescript apartment that doesn’t exactly scream safe. Very non-Athena esque.

“Kara, you’re going to have to come up from the apartment.” Athena says while Kara huffs. “That’s dumb, I’m still going to have to break into this man’s apartment, so I’m going to use the better option for him.” Kara says while snapping the locking on the balcony with her bare hand.

“Uh, who are you and how the hell did you get on my balcony.” The man, who Kara’s assuming is Aaron, says. “Athena called me, I am helping,” she says pushing past the curtains and stepping into the light.”

“Uh, Athena, you know Supergirl?”

“Dude, it is Superwoman, and yes, we have a past.” Kara says while blowing a kiss at Athena, received with rolled eyes. “Yes, we’ve been interconnected, now, get me that key please Ms. Woman.”

“Please, Athena you’ve already done that one before, now I want you to know that I’m going to tell Buck about this.” Kara says as she picks the key up off the floor and goes to do the handcuffs.

“Oh, no, I just want you to put the key on the table please.”

“Wow, bold. This is making me miss Buck.” Kara say lying through her teeth while Athena just looks at her dumbfounded. “I can both see how you two make sense and also not get the appeal, you look so similar.”

“Have you ever considered I’m just vain.”

“You yes, Buck, surprisingly no, she’s really nice.”

“Right well I’ve got to get back to patrol, I left Krypto on the roof.”

“Ma’am that can’t be safe for the dog.”

“With all due respect Aaron, to which I have none for you. Your opinion has been noted and thrown out the window. Now,” whistling, “Krypto!”

In a blaze of white Krypto follows and in the moment of impact Kara is so glad she did not have to deal with this energy when growing up. “We’ll be off Athena, use protection.” Athena does not laugh but the next person Kara saves from a random mugging is laughing at her nameless story.

<__>

Less then an hour later though, Kara finds herself at Abby Clarke’s apartment. It’s a sombre tone, Carla isn’t here this time, and Kara only found herself hear because Abby had called. In front of the both of them is the lifeless Patricia Clarke.

There’s no heartbeats, and no words spoken outside of Abby calling for her.

“I don’t understand why you would call for me.”

“You understand the double mourning.”

“That I do, you need to take a break. I think part of your life has been stolen looking after her, now it’s time to look after yourself.”

The woman clings to Kara’s jacket and tears fall down. In reality Kara knows that she won’t be seeing Abby again, but she knows she’ll miss the woman she could’ve know if given more time.

Chapter Text

Kara wasn’t invited to Patricia’s funeral, frankly she didn’t expect to be, she barely knew Abby. She was however, invited over to Abby’s place after. Despite the presence of family and connection Abby called her.

She landed on her bedroom balcony, with the door to the main apartment shut. In the room on her own bed Abby sat still surrounded by the memories of her past. Newspaper clippings strewn across the floor and medals carelessly chucked onto the bed.

“Superwoman, do you think I am wasting my life. My brother seems to think that I have spent my entire adult life caring for our mother instead of being a person.”

“You already know my opinion on this. Abby, your only friend is your mother’s home and healthcare aid, and while Carla is nice, she cannot be your sole friend. I truly think you have lost your life to your mother.”

“Yeah, I thought so, this city is starting to drag.”

“Of course, if you found someone special here, I would say different.” Kara says as she slides onto the bed beside Abby, looking at her surprising Olympic swimming records. “Why would it be different, we could still date.”

“That’s just cruel. Abby, you would have to break up, stringing a man along like that would be cruel, you can’t eat your cake and have it too.”

“That’s not the way the saying goes.”

“And yet I am still right, you would be greedy, and frankly since that’s how you’re thinking I think it’s time for you to grow up. Take time for yourself and grow up.” Just as quickly as Kara thought she’d have a moment with the woman she gets up and hands Abby the cutting she was looking at.

“You think I’ve lost myself.”

“I don’t think you ever really found it, you were simply told it was your duty to do one thing, and now you can’t carry it out you feel lost. I was once like you.”

“Really you have all this cool getup, I imagine you’ve always had a purpose.”

“No, I had a purpose, then I found myself drinking to make up the space that that purpose took in my heart. I don’t recommend drinking Ms. Clarke. I’d go with travel; in my haze I did find the galaxy welcoming.”

<__>

Nobody mentions Abby at work that afternoon, why would they, the 118 don’t really know her, the only one who has a chance of bringing it up is Athena, who has been steering clear of both Buck and Hen after her late-night rendezvous.

At least she’ll most certainly be at this call since it seems like a domestic spat. “118, Sargent grant is already there ad has apprehended a man with a concussion, but she’s remarked that something is off with the wife aswell. Keep your heads clear.”

A series of ‘yes caps’ ring out as the team step out of the engine. Hen and Chim automatically go to the man with Athena while Buck and Bobby walk towards the screaming woman. She doesn’t seem fine, but there’s something more upsetting then the giant headwound. The woman’s British.

“Hi ma’am,” Bobby starts with a politeness too calm for what Buck would consider reasonable for the situation. “Can you tell us your name so we can help manage the situation.”

“My name is Diane, I don’t know who that man is, but one moment I was in the bathroom that next he’s here calling the Bobbies and police.” Buck snorts at laugh through her hands, covered by a clearing of her throat. Diane’s entire statement was littered with sporadic hiccups and British slang.

“Alright Diane, well you’ve got a nasty head wound there, so why don’t you join the both of us and get you checked out by the truck.” They walk calmly to the engine and Chim is waiting, now with David all cleared up.

The man keeps looking over to fuss at Diane, but Athena keeps him corralled not to disturb her. “Hi Diana, I’m Chimney. I think we’re going to give you a TPA shot and get you into this ambulance here for the hospital.”

The woman nods, but her voice seems to be failing her now. When the ambulance with Hen and Chim drive away David speaks up. “Thank you, firefighters,” While Buck nods and smiles Bobby instead sees Athena packing up to leave, “You should thank her, we might not have been able to give the proper hospital report if not for Sargent Grant.”

The man does as requested and runs to intercept Athena before brandishing the key to his home, presumably to pack up before visiting his wife. However, between the engine and Athena’s police car Buck can feel tension as Athena and Bobby’s eye meet. Buck can’t tell if she’s making it up in her head, but Athena gives a flirty head tilt before dipping into her car.

“Anything you need to tell Hen and I, or possibly the Sargent herself Cap?” Buck asks coyly when she turns to meet Bobby’s fierce blush. “I’ve been thinking about getting back out there and Athena was kind enough to offer options.”

“Alright you’re in the back with me, give me your phone I need to see what apps she recommended.”

“Not just apps, also websites, not all Athena’s suggestion.” Buck gives a giddy smile as she takes the phone out of Bobby’s hands and puts on her earmuffs. “Wow, Chimney is going to majorly regret missing this goldmine. Romerez, hit it, I need to make my comments perfectly.”

Bobby clicks a few things, and Buck can see the folder directly made for dating apps, she can also see the worst offense to her eyes. “Bobby, please, no. Tell me google didn’t tell you to go on Romancing the Uniform.”

“I was told that it’s very in right now, and it’s easier to date somebody who understands the needs of the job this late in life.” Buck simply shakes her head and notes the list of hookup apps given presumably by google, and a couple of random, and probably older, real dating apps from Athena.

Buck doesn’t really date herself, or well Kara doesn’t date. Dating inside the Justice league would just be weird, constantly interacting and fully trusting people who will possibly break up with you in cruel ways just isn’t her style.

And, well, the one woman Kara had dated outside her hookups left her shattered on the floor and didn’t bother to pick up the pieces of her heart, despite owning it for so long.

“Bobby,” Buck start closing the phone, “most of these are hookup apps, I know you are old and are just trying to get back out there right now, btu I don’t think that’s you. I may be new to this job, compared to everybody else, but my probation ends this week, and I know you Bobby, you want commitment.”

“You don’t know how it ended last time.”

“Bobby, take it from a woman scorned, I can see that you’re trying and improving. Everybody deserves a second chance, this job is mine, this next great love will be yours. I think maybe it’s time to just go out in the world and let good come to you.”

“Buck, you’re nice but I truly don’t think I deserve this second chance, also who would want me, I’m old and busy.”

“Firstly, if you didn’t believe in the second chance you wouldn’t be trying, and secondly, I can’t say but I’ve seen you on calls and I’ve tasted your cooking, you’re a package deal.”

“For what it’s worth Cap,” Romerez calls out as they pull into the station, “Probie’s right, I think my wife’s got a soft spot for you and I know I wouldn’t mind.”

Bobby laughs loudly, “thank you Romerez, but maybe keep that to yourself around the station. I guess maybe it’s my time.”

“That’s the spirit cap, now please make lunch.” Buck says shoving him out of the engine as she can here the ambulance pulling up. “Also, seriously Romerez, Probie? My time’s almost up.” He wraps his arm around her neck and pulls her into a noogie that she could get out of easily.

“I know, that’s why I’ve got to use them all up now Probie.”

“Really Luca, bullying our poor probie again.” Chimney says walking up, getting Luca to release Buck. “Oh, Chim, you’re going to love this. Cap’s thinking about dating again and was using Romancing the Uniform.”

“Dear lord, save that man.” Hen shouts across the station. The firehouse burst into laughter without even knowing what the topic is, however, a hey is said by Bobby from the kitchen, with more cackles following.

<__>

Later Buck will try not to watch as Athena pulls Bobby aside after a motorcycle crash. The way the two of them lean into each other and rely on one another. Despite the destruction they’re laughing and enjoying each other’s presence.

Buck continues watching as the two briefly find themselves walking towards a church, they won’t be done at this scene for a while, it’s fine and bobby’s not medical chief, so his presence isn’t needed.

The two of them are free, unbound by rules or secrets, just them.

Deep down. Against her own self Isolating ways.

Kara wants that sense of connection too.

<__>

“Are you sure you don’t want to have a big celebration.” Hen asks as they make it back to the station, Bobby notably happier. “Who would I invite Hen? I don’t know if you know this but I have nobody.”

While Buck’s sure that Clark and Lois would come. Kara can’t bring herself to invite, to have the entire Kryptonian population in once place yet again for her. What if she leads to their destruction again. Her second chance isn’t worth that.

“Well, then, I’m bringing a cake.” She says squeezing Buck’s shoulder as she heads to the change room, swapping out for B-shift. “Buck, a moment in my office,” Bobby says before Buck can follow to change.

She knocks on the door politely. The atmosphere isn’t stressed but a melancholy, like things are coming to their end, or new beginning. “Can I ask what you need me for?”

“Even though you don’t want to have a party, I’m still going to get you a gift. As nice as it has been having you tail me Buck, I think you need a partner, so in a few weeks we’ll rotate through some candidates, and you tell me yes or no.”

“Have I not been good enough?” Buck asks, her heart pulsing, threatening tears. “No, the opposite, you need a heavy rescue partner who can match your energy, that’s not me. I wouldn’t try multiple for the best suit unless I truly liked you Buck.”

“Thank you, Bobby.”

“Now, do you think this is a nice suit for a first date?” He says turning his phone to Buck. She gingerly picks it up and looks at the details. “It’s perfect, Athena is lucky to have a partner like you.”

“Don’t worry we’ll find your perfect match too.”

<__>

She got to take home the remainder of her cake later that week after her small probation talk on the firehouse roof. She’s sitting on top of a random skyscraper eating a paper plate full of said cake when a very punk rock kid comes to a halt by her spot.

“I feel like you’re missing something.” Kara says shovelling another fork full of cake into her mouth. Second later another figure comes screeching to a halt. “Sorry Kara, I told him to call first and he decided not to follow that order.”

“Aunt Kara said I could come over anytime.” Clark pinches his brow. “Conner, that’s just something people say they don’t mean it.”

“They don’t?” Kara asks, now standing up to join their bickering. “No, it’s like southern hospitality it’s just a thing you say.”

“That’s dumb.” Conner says and Kara nods. “I agree kid, I’d say it was better on krypton, but the sayings were just as stupid. Now I’m going to assume you’ve finished your training since you’re rocking the family colours.”

“Yeah, the old man says I’m free to kick ass, and since the Other One is still little I think we sped ran all this to get me off his hands. Anyway, I’m going to form Young Justice, we’ve already got Wonder girl, Impulse and Robin, I just need a certain gift I was promised for completing my training.”

“Of course you don’t have to give it to him Kara, he’s aware you were possibly joking Kara.”

Kara huffs and taps Clark’s shoulder to get his attention. “Hold this Kal El,” she says passing him the cake, “Now, I trust you’re going to wear this with all the dignity of the House of El, thus, Con El, son of Kal El. Take this jacket and treasure it, for this is your tie to family wherever you go.”

He takes the jacket with a rushed greed. When he puts the jacket on, whipping out sunglasses aswell Kara can’t help but not how much it suits him more than her. She doesn’t mind giving up her piece of assurance when she has so much now, he needs some.

“Thank you, Aunt Kara, are you going to be coming to dinner tonight?” Clark jolts at Conner’s words. “Yes, Ma was wanting for me to ask you to come to the old place for dinner, I know it’s cross country, but I heard about your probation being over and thought you would like a celebration.”

Kara doesn’t know what to say, she just smiles and welcomes the hug. She truly hadn’t expected them to care about something so given.

“I’m going to take that as a yes, in that case, follow us home, maybe when we’re there we can design your new outfit.”

“Please let me help Aunt Kara!”

“I don’t know, I’m thinking of deviating from my punk look,” she says as they slowly drift up to the perfect altitude for fast flight, “I’m thinking I lean into big blue’s look, just no capes.”

<__>

The Kent farm is exactly how she remembers it. However, when she lands Kara realises she is forgetting something. She draws her fingers to her mouth and whistles, loud enough to unsettle all of the cows in the paddocks, along with a special friend, while waking the recipient.

“Really? You’re going to ask Krypto to join.” Clark says as they watch Conner run into the house. “I do not get why you hate him so, he is my precious baby, and you should respect him.”

“I respect the Pegasus we keep on my parents farm who takes you to space, I respect the cat that drove off your last bad girlfriend, what I don’t respect is that dog.”

“So, you’ll save him in a fight against Luther, but you still think he’s a menace.”

“Absolutely, he has no respect for me.” At the same time Clark says it a white blur rams full speed through him into Kara’s chest, ramming Clark into the farm ground. “I guess I can live your malice, I’m going to go introduce Krypto to Jon, and see fi ma needs help.”

Clark’s response is a muffled groan. From the porch Ma looks upset. “you really do need to train him Kara.”

“hello to you too Ma. I know, he’s already trained.”

“For battle yes, but for a pet not really.”

“He’s much smarter than an average pet, he should be able to have a bit of freedom. Now where’s Job I need to see how tall he is now.”

“Aunt Kara!” A scream calls from the steps followed by Lois telling him not to shout in the house. “Can I take Krypto?” Jon says holding out his hands, he’s like a carbon copy of Clark, yet his pleading eyes and way he always gets what he wants is so clearly from Lois.

“I don’t know young man, I brought him for my nephew, can you fine him, he’s as small as a can of beans, and you certainly aren’t him.”

“Aunt Kara, it’s me Jon. Please can I play with Krypto. Mum can vouch.”

“Don’t worry Kara, sadly this is my baby, I didn’t swap him out for one of the louder ones.” Lois says swirling her wine of the couch, leaving a space just for Kara on the couch. “Alright then, Jon, just remember to wash your hands before dinner, and bring your brother.”

She watches the boy leave just through the door that she came in from, dragging Conner with him, Conner actually stumbling sometimes when the kid’s super strength kicked in.

“Is it tiring now with the two of them.”

“I won’t say no because that’s not true, but it’s tiring in the way that I love them. They’re rambunctious and loud, and constantly stressing me about becoming superheroes, but it’s easier when you love them.”

“Let me guess, I’m going to understand when I have kids of my own.”

“I wouldn’t want to presume.”

“I guess I will have to wait for the right one then.”

“They’re always closer then you think, just hold your heart open.”

“Lois, I really thought she was the one.” Lois takes her hand from where she’s leaning back over the couch, forcing eye-contact. “Kara, we all thought that Lena would be the one, now you just have to really go out there and fine your soulmate, where do you think they’ve been?”

“In krypton we used to say if you couldn’t find the one just, yet they were off fighting wars in the army, we had percentage conscriptions, you didn’t really die on that job so the thought was they’d come back from the war hotter.”

“Awe, a military man to match your bloodthirsty prowess,” Lois says excitedly patting her thigh. “Please, if whoever Rao sends me is hot and sweet then they’re well worth the wait, no matter how long.”

“To your army lover.” Kara raises her glass, “To my army lover.” They clink. Kara chugs the ineffective alcohol down in a swig and pulls out a sketch paper pad and one of Ma’s pens. “Now, want to help me design my new uniform, your eldest has taken my look.”