Friday, January 28, 2011

Ch 18: New Year's Eve

Glory lay in bed reading one of the books she’d gotten for Christmas, Bethany’s Baby, when someone knocked on the door. “Come in,” she called, placing her bookmark and sitting up when her mother came into the room. She hovered in the doorway, hands behind her back. “What’s up?”

She kicked the door shut behind her before she spoke. “I got a call from Melissa’s mother a little bit ago.”

Glory felt her stomach lurch. “I can explain.”

Her mother sat down on the bed next to her and revealed that she was holding a banana and a condom. “I understand that you’re a teenager, and you’re on your own, and hormones are raging--”

“What are those for?” she asked, eying the items in her mother’s hands.

“If you’re going to be throwing yourself at boys I at least want you to be safe. This is a rubber, and this is a--well--”

“I’m not throwing myself at anyone! It was just the once, and I’ve been dating him for a while and we used protection, so put the condom down and step away from the banana.”

“Of course you‘re not.” Her mother sighed. “I’m sorry--I got the phone call and I panicked. I guess you’re not a little girl any more.”

“No.”

“I just worry about you away at school, training with the League.”

“I’m fine,” Glory lied. “Really.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been so quiet since you came home.”

“I’m stressed,” Glory admitted. “I’m working very hard and school is much more difficult than I thought it would be--but being with KP makes me feel better. I can relax around him. I’m not doing anything I don’t want to,” she assured. “I’m not being reckless or stupid. I promise.”

Her mother smiled. “Okay.” She pulled her into a hug and caught the title of the book Glory was reading. “I think I need to be more careful with the books I give you,” she said, picking up the paperback. “Don’t let this give you any ideas.”

Glory shook her head. “It won’t.”

“Okay. I feel better about all this now.” She handed Glory the book back and stood up. “I’ve already made you an appointment with my gynecologist for the Tuesday after New Years.”

Glory was sure she visibly blanched. “Actually, I was going to go back a few days early. There’s a big New Years Eve celebration in the park. Some of my friends were going to go.” This wasn’t exactly true. Captain Righteous had mentioned it, but Glory had intended to stay home the whole of break. The party was starting to look pretty appealing. Maybe she could get KP and Torch to come back early too. What she had said to her mother was true--KP did make her feel better, and that was all that mattered. She wanted him and needed him. That was enough. She suddenly felt much better than she had most of break.

“Oh. Okay. Well, promise me you’ll talk to the campus medical center. You should get on the pill--”

“Okay mom--get out!”

*****

Lola’s head felt fuzzy and full when the phone rang at five in the morning. She fumbled and found it on the bedside table. “Wha?”

“Where are you?” an unfamiliar male voice demanded.

“Who’s this?”

“Trapdoor Spider.” It took Lola’s brain a moment to realign with the world back home. After three weeks of parties and too much booze and sex, Lola had almost forgotten that she had another life as a super villain. “Dark Lothario wants you here.”

“How did you get this number?”

“I’ve got your man right here.”

“Sorry boss,” she could hear Ratface call into the phone. “They made me do it.”

Lola groaned. “Look, I’m in Europe. I’ll be back when the semester starts.”

“No, now.”

“I’m not at his beck and call. It’ll take some time to get a flight and--”

“What airport? We’ll have a ticket waiting for you when you get there.”

She wanted to kill someone. “Okay.” She gave him the information. “Why does he need me?”

“Your mind control powers may prove to be useful to Dark Lothario in his next project tomorrow night.” Tomorrow was already today, and it was New Years’ Eve. “I’ll call you back with your flight information.”

“Whatever.”

Lola rolled out of bed and called room service for breakfast and coffee--lots of coffee. She stumbled to the closet and pulled her suitcase out, opening it on the unmade bed and throwing her clothes into it. She was insensible of all the designer, dry-clean only items being thrown together haphazardly, shoes mixed in with the expensive garments. Spider called her back while she was eating breakfast and informed her that her flight would be leaving at nine.

Her shower was brief and she took little care with her make-up. She didn’t want to go back, but she didn’t want to stay either. She was tempted to leave without saying goodbye to her mother, but thought better in the end, and ignored the ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door, knocking until she answered. “Don’t you know what time it is?” she demanded, wrapped in a black silk robe.

“I need to head back early,” Lola said.

“Why?”

She hesitated. “Because.” What the hell. “Because I’m working on a project with Dark Lothario.”

“Dark Lothario.”

“Yes. He was impressed with my demonstration with the police.”

“You stay away from that man,” she said, wrapping her robe tighter around her body. She rarely saw her mother rattled, but the great Mesmera seemed to shrink into herself, becoming smaller. “He’s not anyone you should be associating yourself with.”

“Why not?”

“He hasn’t--you know--has he?”

“Seduced me? He’s been a perfect gentleman. Why so concerned?” Tell me. Please tell me.

“He is not a good man, Lola. You can’t trust him, and don’t ever let yourself be alone in a room with him just--don’t. Walk away. Never think of him again.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I knew I should have made you go to Princeton.”

“I don’t have time for this.” If she didn’t want to tell her, that was just fine. “I have a plane to catch.”

“Don’t sleep with him, Lola.”

“Why not? Because you did?” Her mother’s silence was as good as an answer. “Call me when you decide to come home,” she said, and pulled the door closed for her mother.

*****

Lola felt vaguely ill when she got off the plane in Acropolis. Her last flight from NYC had been in a miniscule plane with no first class, so she spent the last leg of her long trip claustrophobic squeezed into the tiny seats with no leg room. After 15 hours of travel she wanted nothing more than a hot bath and a glass of wine. Outside of the airport she breathed in a deep lungful of cold air and felt a sense of relief to be back on the ground, but it was short lived.

Dark Lothario’s limousine was waiting at the airport, and Trapdoor Spider took her bag and opened the door for her. Aside from the driver there was no one else there. “Dark Lothario is annoyed that you left the country without completing your assignment,” he told her when he got back into the limo. He reached over to the mini bar and poured her a drink, which she knocked back appreciatively.

“You mean the girl? I’m working on it.” She helped herself to the bottles beside her. “I’m not his minion. I’m not here to do his bidding.”

“Keep saying that if it makes you feel better. You have talent, no doubt, but you don’t have the heart for this business. One day you’ll break, and Dark Lothario will be there to pick up the pieces.”

Lola glared at him and sipped at the bourbon she was drinking, saying nothing. Spider switched gears and began to explain the plan for the evening. “There’s a New Years celebration in the park tonight--its already underway. There are about five hundred people there. At midnight Mayor Wilkinson will make a speech, and his daughter Patricia will flip the switch for the ball to drop. We’re going to kidnap the mayor’s daughter.”

Lola set down the bottle she was about to pour. “Forget it. I’m not helping him kidnap anyone. I’m not down with that at all.”

“You want to work with Dark Lothario, this is what we do.”

“It’s wrong,“ she insisted.

“It’s only wrong to you because she’s a woman.” He gave her a wide, creepy smile. “How many men have you brainwashed into having sex with you?”

“I haven’t--” she stopped herself. Lawrence. Maybe he wanted it, maybe he didn’t. Either way, she had used her powers to give him the push he needed to say yes. “Once. But that’s not--”

“You and Dark Lothario are two of the same, girly. Get used to it. We’re going to create chaos tonight. It will be wonderful.”

“How much is he ransoming her for?”

“Thirty million, to be paid by Valentine’s Day.” When he doesn’t pay up Dark Lothario will give a special live performance on his website that evening.”

“That’s sick!”

“That’s good business. Dark Lothario makes more money than any other pornographer. You know why? Men wish they had his powers and women, all women, secretly want to succumb to them. You want to be a super villain, great. Don’t let your morals get in the way of things. As of right now, you don‘t have any.”

*****

Glory though she had avoided something horrible by getting out of her parents’ house early, but she was second guessing that by New Years Eve. The park was lit up as bright as day and was full of people wrapped up tight against the cold evening. The small pond had been cleared for ice skating, and ice sculptures helped turn the place into a winter wonderland. If she had been there with KP she might have been so charmed by the atmosphere that she would change her mind about wanting to run away to Vegas with him. As it was, he and Torch were still in Ohio, and she was standing with Captain Righteous, Black, and Chameleon.

“This isn’t fun,” Chameleon shivered. She was having a hard time concentrating on keeping her color, and her skin was the exact shade of the tan wool coat she was wearing.

Glory rather agreed, and she and Chameleon inched closer to each other for warmth. “Why don’t we go back to my place and watch the ball drop on TV like a sane person?” she offered, pulling her pink hat further down over her ears. The four of them were wearing street clothes, but they were also wearing masks since they were with each other (except Black, who looked just as odd wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night). No matter where they stood people would start whispering and pointing. Glory was fairly certain that being this conspicuous couldn’t possibly be good for them.

“Where is your civic pride?” Righteous asked in a booming voice that seemed to carry through the crowds, causing more eyes to look their way. “Tonight we are part of a community, part of America, all celebrating together.”

“Fine, fine,” she grumbled. Glory caught a glimpse of Valkyrie in the crowd. She was wearing her fur bikini as though it were summer. Glory decided that when she graduated she was going to go save California or Florida, and be a hero on the beach with a tan.

Fortunately it was almost midnight, and the crowd began to gather around the stage erected in front of the fountain. Off to the side a disco ball glittered atop a pole, ready to drop at midnight. The mayor stood at a podium on the stage behind a big red digital clock counting down the minutes and seconds until the new year. Behind him stood a young woman in a silver dress that glittered as much as the ball, wearing a scarf, gloves, and earmuffs.

The crowd pressed in around Glory and she found herself surrounded on all sides. Blue grabbed her hand to keep from being separated. “Welcome citizens,” Mayor Wilkinson said from his microphone. “I’m glad so many of you made it out tonight, and I hope everyone is having fun.” Around Glory the crowds screamed and cheered. “Well. Time is marching on, and another year has come to a close. I hope everyone had a good year, and if you did not, we all pray that this year goes better. Last year had a lot of ups and downs for our great city. Construction was completed on two new elementary schools, and our hospital was voted number three in the state! Our oldest resident, Mrs. Regina Billings, turned a hundred and seven last month!” More cheering. “However, crime has gone up. Unemployment is up. Times are not easy. Which is why community is so important, and why I am glad so many of your are here tonight.”

The clock was running down fast, and he nodded to the girl in silver. “Let me present my daughter, Patricia. She’s a freshman at the University Noir.”

Patricia stepped forward with a large remote control wrapped in a silver bow. “Ready every one?” Her voice was amplified by a clip-on mike on her scarf. The crowd began to chant the countdown from ten, and Patricia held the remote high over her head with a big, beauty queen smile on her face.

Glory closed her eyes. Please, God, let this semester be better than last. Let me do better in school. Help me follow the rules of the League. And help me decide what I want from KP, because I don’t know.

“Three! Two! One!”

Patricia made a big show of pushing the button on the remote and the disco ball began to spin down its post. Confetti rained down on them, and everyone was shouting and jumping. Chameleon, caught up in the moment, grabbed Black and planted a kiss on his kips, temporarily turning pink. Righteous gave her a hopeful glace but she quickly turned away, just in time to see a black-swathed figure pull a gun. “Look out!” she cried, ducking, but no one heard her in the din.

The celebratory screams soon turned into those of fear when the gun man fired several shots at the disco ball. It exploded in bits of mirror and Styrofoam, raining down on the screaming crowd.

“Not good!” Black tried to yell, but Glory wasn’t sure anyone heard him other than herself. Glory was getting bumped both left and right, and she couldn’t figure out why the crowd wasn’t dispersing away from the site.

“Where are the cops?”

Righteous, who was the tallest in their group, answered her. “Surrounding us. Their guns are all pointed at the crowd.”

“What the hell is going on?” The Mayor’s voice echoed through the crowd, and Glory managed to turn herself around to see what was happening on the stage. There were half a dozen people clad in all black wearing ski masks. There was also an unmasked man wearing a black leather jacket with a red spider painted on the back, and a curvy woman in leather bondage gear. The spider had the mayor’s daughter by the wrist. “Let go of me you freaks,” Patricia’s miked voice cried out.

The microphone picked up the other woman’s voice too--deep, sultry, alluring. “Calm down,” she demanded. Glory could see Patricia nearly go limp in the spider’s arms, and she recognized the woman in black from television.

“That’s the Mistress of Minds,” Glory told the others, struggling to get out of the crowd. “We have to stop her before she brainwashes that girl into doing something horrible!” She couldn’t break into her super speed with so many people around her. She was as helpless as anyone else. Glory couldn’t even find Chameleon in the crowd. “Black, is there anything you can do?” she asked. Where was Valkyrie? Why wasn’t Stone or Romeo Avenger there to save everyone?

“Not really,” Black called back, trying to push against the crowd.

“I can get to them,” Righteous said, “but I don’t have my armor on and I’d rather not get shot. Besides, it‘s against the rules.”

“Screw the rules,” Black said vehemently, and Glory nodded in agreement. This time she had come prepared. She dropped down into the crowd, so dense it was as good as a telephone booth, and pulled off her coat and sweater. She had her costume on under her clothes, and while it took a second to get free of her jeans, she managed to change without anyone noticing, fear being an excellent distraction. She had to grab Righteous by the belt to pull herself back on her feet, and she hoped he wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

“Dammit, America,” Righteous said. “You’re making me look bad.”

Patricia seemed prepared to walk off the stage with the Mistress and the spider man when Valkyrie pushed through the crowd. She grabbed at a cup of soda from someone and flew past the armed police officers, who did not try to shoot at her or move from their seemingly assigned posts.

Valkyrie ran up to the stage, throwing the soda at the feet of the men. At first Glory was confused, but one of the masked men took a step towards her and slipped, falling hard on his back. Valkyrie had used her powers to turn the liquid into ice.

She jumped onto the stage and lashed out at one of the other men, who fell over his friend struggling to his feet.

Still, as the men were being attacked the police guards stood firm and unwavering from their task of pointing their guns at the crowd. She told them not to shoot, Glory realized. The Mistress of Minds must have brainwashed the police into containing the crowd, but that was it. She didn’t want them firing on anyone.

“Righteous! The cops--” The words died in her throat when she saw a dominating figure in a black suit step onto the stage. Dark Lothario.

He was so recognizable, everyone in the crowd started saying his name, and Valkyrie heard it. She froze where she stood, and the man she was about it hit slipped out of her grasp. Valkyrie was a deer caught in headlights, and Glory could see Dark Lothario smile. The stage was very well miked. “Val, darling.” Run, Glory thought, willing Valkyrie to break away from him, but whether she was frozen from fear, or was already in his thrall, Glory couldn’t tell. “You know you want me,” he said, and Glory felt a slight lurch in her heart--she wanted him too.

But the lurch was only slight, and when she saw that Valkyrie was walking towards him with a sexy swing to her hips that hadn’t been there before Glory broke into action, pushing her way through the crowd, ignoring a slight fear as she broke past the cops. As soon as she was clear of all of the people she was able to break into a run, just fast enough that when she jumped onto the stage she was almost flying, but not so fast that she injured Valkyrie when she grabbed her and dove off the other side of the stage. Her speed caused them to just miss crashing into the marble fountain, and they tumbled into a snow bank.

Valkyrie immediately tried to get back up and go to him, but Glory pulled her back. Her eyes had a glazed look, and she fought against Glory’s grasp. “Snap out of it,” Glory said, shaking her shoulders and, when that didn’t work, slapping her across the face. I’d better not get kicked out for this, she thought as Valkyrie seemed to come back to herself.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“I think so,” Valkyrie said. “Come on--don’t look him in the eye, whatever you do. Lothario or that other woman.”

Glory breaking free from the crowd had seemed to cause them to scatter because there were now people running everywhere and she couldn’t see anyone they were supposed to be pursuing, nor could she move quickly with so many people moving around her. Glory ran right into Chameleon, blending into her background as she hurried across the park. “Valkyrie, America! They got away! They got away with the mayor’s daughter.”

The police officers were still standing in a circle with their guns drawn.

*****

Inside one of two limousines that had brought the main players of their coup to the scene Lola was breathing heavy, grasping Patricia’s hand. Across from them Spider was smiling, a job well done as they drove away. “Please let me go,” Patricia said, as calm as Lola had commanded her to be. It hadn’t been easy, setting up the police officers, but Lola had managed. Now her head was pounding and her jet lag was seriously catching up with her.

“I can’t,” Lola said, hating herself even as she said the words.

“I can’t be in a porno,” she said, gripping Lola’s hand tighter. “I’m going into politics.”

“At least you have your priorities in order,” Lola said. “Look, I can’t stop him. He’s too powerful. But I can make it so that you wont remember anything, or I can convince you that you wanted to do it even after his thrall wears off…I’m really sorry.”

“So why did you help him?”

“It’s politics,” Lola said.

“I don’t want you to make me forget. I can handle this. I can do this just fine.”

“Look at me,” Lola said, and Patricia looked up. “You don’t have to be calm anymore if you don’t want to.”

“Thank you,” Patricia said, and began to cry.

*****

A/N: For those who like long chapters, this one was *long.* 3600 words, when usually they’re about 2500.

Have you ever noticed that in super hero movies they always have some big public meeting or party, even though their cities are crawling in maniacs in bad outfits? Why the hell would you do that? It’s just asking for trouble. So I had to write one too.

I think this is one of the best scenes in the book so far. It was one of those instances where I went into it not sure what I was doing, and everything just kind of fell into place perfectly.

Lets see…the book Glory is reading at the beginning, “Bethany’s Baby” is the sequel to the book she’s reading in ch. 11, “Bethany’s Bridegroom.” Not real books (I hope). The titles just sound like those goody two shoes type romance novels, the anti-bodice ripper. (My grandma reads bodice rippers. It is greatly disturbing.)

The last name of the mayor, Wilkinson, is a blatant Buffy rip-off, an homage, if you please.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Ch 17: Christmas Break

Lawrence was feeling a definite sense of good will with the world as he packed his bag to go home for Christmas break. He could even be happy about spending four weeks with his family. He and America had taken things to the next level, and that was wonderful. She was wonderful. He wished everyone was as happy as he was. “C’mon, Torch,” he said as he packed. “You have to come home with me. Where are you going to stay with the dorms all locked up for break?”

“Black got me a key to the loading dock of Memorial Hall. I can crash there, or find another abandoned house. It’s not a big deal. Going home with you would be breaking the rules. I’d find out who you are.”

Lawrence sighed. This was ridiculous. He’d been wearing a mask in his own dorm room for weeks now, and it was getting old. He ripped it off and glared at Torch. “My name is Lawrence.”

Torch flinched and looked away. “Why did you do that? You know we can get kicked out of the league for this.”

“I don’t care. I’m not leaving you homeless and pitiful at Christmas. Now pack a bag.”

“If we get in trouble--”

“You can tell them I kicked your ass and forced you.”

Torch finally turned and looked at him without a mask for the first time. “You couldn’t kick my ass.” He slowly pulled off his mask. Underneath his skin was shiny and tight from scar tissue. He didn’t have any eyebrows. Lawrence’s eyes went wide at the extensive damage. “You see why I like to wear a mask?”

“It doesn’t matter, dude. What’s your name?”

“Oh no. You’re not getting that out of me.”

“Fine. Ralph.”

Ralph? You can’t call me that. That’s a terrible name.”

Lawrence smiled a little. “You should have told me. Ralph.”

*****

Lola sat with Dark Lothario in the Red Door club. It was the middle of the day, but there was still a handful of people milling around. Instead of the thumping of club music from the speakers the bartender had Billy Joel playing on a boom box behind the bar, where a few older henchmen were drinking.

“I have a job for you, little girl,” Dark Lothario told her. He passed a manila envelope across the table in front of them. Lola took a long sip of her drink and picked it up. Opening it, she discovered pictures of Glory on the ground with the woman she had rescued two weeks before. Slightly grainy blown up, she could tell they were all taken with cell phone cameras from the crowd around them. In one picture Lola could see her own arm, in another the back of her head. “I want you to find out who this girl is.”

Lola played with the urge to simply tell him right away, and several thoughts passed through her head before she convinced herself not to give up Glory. Glory might have been sleeping with Lawrence, but they were still friends. Weren’t they? Lola found her loyalty wavering. The morning after her discovery, after Lola had spent the night on the sofa in her lair, Glory had given her a blushing blow by blow that made Lola queasy. She had spent most of her time away from their apartment ever since, explaining to Glory that she had to study for finals.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Lola said, putting the pictures back in the envelope. “What are you going to do with her?”

“Nothing she won’t enjoy.”

*****

“Where are you going this time?” Glory asked Lola, pretending everything was normal between them. She hung around inside the doorway, watching Lola zip up
her suitcase.

“Paris. My mom’s new boyfriend is there.”

“I thought her new boyfriend was in Venice.”

“That was weeks ago,” Lola told her. “This one is French. Jean-something.”

“Why don’t you stay here for Christmas, instead of hanging out with a bunch of foreign strangers?” Lola didn’t come home the night KP stayed over, and she had been distant ever since. Glory suspected that she might be jealous. “You could come home with me.” Maybe a month of sisterly bonding would help ease over any hurt feelings.

“I don’t think so,” Lola said. “I like going to Europe.”

“Lola, please. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing is wrong. Take good care of the car while I’m away.”

“I still think you’re nuts to let me have it for a full month!”

“Merry Christmas. Can you drive me to the airport?”

“Of course,” Glory said, a dull ache in the pit of her stomach. Whatever was wrong, Lola didn’t want to fix it. “Just wake me up tomorrow when its time to go.”

She left Lola’s room and went back to her own, falling onto her bed. Every time she came into her bedroom she ran through the night with KP. At the time it had felt so right, and the next morning. She was relaxed, really relaxed, for the first time in weeks the following day, but that had worn off.

She hadn’t had sex with him because she loved him--she didn’t know if she loved him or not. Maybe it had been a mistake.

*****

Paris had been one party after another, including a short field trip to the French alps for two days of skiing and hot tub debauchery. Christmas Day, and it was getting old.

Lola stood at the bar and speared the olive in her martini with a toothpick. There were a couple hundred people in the hotel ball room surrounding a Christmas tree that touched the ceiling. The buffet consisted of a traditional dinner with all the trimmings, a traditional Christmas for people who didn’t give a rats ass about tradition.

“Pere Noelle obviously got my list,” a slightly drunken voice said in French at her side. She gave the man a glance and was about to dismiss him when he continued. “Legs, tits, and lips.” He leaned forward to try to kiss her, but she ducked and sidestepped him easily, and he teetered and fell to the floor.

“The next time you try to hit on a girl, you’re going to tell her, very proudly, about your three inch penis.” Just to take and extra measure, she poured what was left of her drink on him.

Beside her a young woman laughed. “I’d pay to see that,” she said to Lola. The woman was wearing a white dress that contrasted against her dark skin, her hair cropped close to her head and dyed blond. She spoke with a British accent. “There are far too many assholes at this party.”

“I agree,” Lola said.

“I see you’re sans beverage. Can I get you something?”

She smiled at Lola, who managed to smile back. She was so done with men.

*****

Glory put on the dark green dress her mother had gotten her for Christmas, getting ready to go to church. When she came home for Thanksgiving everything had felt normal, but in the few weeks that had passed between that trip, and Christmas, she had changed. She’d thwarted the biggest super villain in Acropolis, almost gotten kicked out of the League and she’d had sex. Glory hadn’t shared any of it with her family, and the secret of her experience with Dark Lothario felt heavy in her chest, but she didn’t want them to worry any more than she wanted to get into more trouble with Ms. X. (She had searched the house for cameras and bugs and had found nothing.)

She sat at the vanity she shared with her sister and stared at her reflection, wondering if she was the same person she had been before. The longer she stayed at home, the less she seemed to know herself. She wanted to be a hero, but nothing had gone right, from her secret identity to her costume to the probation fiasco. She just wanted to be herself and help people.

“I know you’re not that full of yourself,” Truth said, coming into the bedroom wrapped in a bath robe and damp from a shower. Her sister was sixteen, almost a carbon copy of her. Glory wondered if she looked very old to Truth. “What’re you staring at? Do you have a zit or something?”

“No.” She got up and dug through her dresser for a pair of white tights. She wondered what Truth would think about her losing her virginity. Their mother had always told them to wait until they were sure, but was she really sure? Had she had sex with KP because she wanted to, or because she had needed an outlet for all of the emotions that had been building up inside of her?

Truth put on the same dress as Glory, only in red. They didn’t particularly care for their mother’s idea of fashion, but humored her. Truth put on black tights, further contrasting herself from her sister. “Oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you. There’s going to be a party in Lee Thompson’s basement after church. His parents got him a root beer keg.”

“Oh. Cool.”

“It’ll be so great, going in our own car.”

“Borrowed car,” Glory amended. “It sounds like fun.”

*****

Lawrence’s house was crowded with family members (mostly) but also a handful of his brother’s friends. It was the first time Lawrence had ever had a friend at the Christmas celebration. At the moment everyone was crowded into the living room and dining room while Uncle Al sat next to the tree wearing a Santa hat and a beard made out of cotton balls. “Go long, Matty,” Uncle Al said, tossing a package across the room. Catching it, Matty dove into a group of people who laughed and pushed him away. The place was noisy and full of cigarette smoke and the smell of cheap beer. Lawrence hated it, but then he would glance at Torch, sitting beside him and staring at it all with wonder, and Lawrence would try to see it his way. It still sucked.

Lawrence’s mother was weaving through the crowd with a pitcher of homemade eggnog in one hand and a plate of cookies in the other. “Refills boys?” she asked the two of them.

“Thank you,” Torch said, holding out his cup while she poured and taking two gingerbread men.

“I’m good,” Lawrence assured.

“Mrs. Lawrence, you are a goddess,” Torch said as he bit into one of the cookies. Torch had been eating steadily for two weeks, and Lawrence’s mother was only encouraging it, exclaiming at every opportunity how skinny he was and that she was going to fill him out. She had been thrilled with the extra guest for Christmas. Her reaction to Torch’s scars was one of over-mothering, which Torch seemed to enjoy. The two had been charming each other ever since.

Lawrence’s mother beamed at him. “Thank you, Ralph. I’m glad someone appreciates my cooking,” she said before moving on.

“Dude, you’re making me look bad,” Lawrence said. He wasn’t jealous, exactly, but Torch’s near worship of his mother was definitely disconcerting.

“Yo! Lawrence!” He looked over just in time to duck before a gift hit him in the face. It skidded across the dining room table behind him, knocking over drinks. A few people rushed to clean it up while others booed him. Torch picked up the beer and nog sodden box and handed it over.

Lawrence always seemed to lose in the family gift exchange, and sure enough, the tag said ‘To Lawry-Boy, Love Aunt Susie.’ He unwrapped it with growing dread as a green and white snowflake sweater emerged from the tissue paper. He forced a smile and looked over at his aunt, watching him expectantly. “Thanks Aunt Susie.”

A few minutes later his mother reappeared, carrying several gifts the shape and size of shirt boxes. “Here Ralph,” she said, placing them on Torch’s surprised lap. He unwrapped two flannel shirts, a pair of jeans, socks and underwear. She had commented to Lawrence about Torch’s lack of wardrobe a few days before. Apparently she had decided to do something about it.

To Lawrence’s surprise Torch stood up, the clothes dropping to the floor. He wrapped his arms around Lawrence’s mother in a tight hug. She looked like she was going to cry.

*****

The tension that had been building up in Lola’s system for weeks seemed to vanish as she lay with her head resting on Deirdre’s bare shoulder. Her new lover tangled her fingers though Lola’s hair. “Was that your first time with a woman?” she asked.

Lola sat up. “Why? Was it bad?”

Deirdre laughed. “No. I could just tell you were kind of feeling things out. What do you think?”

“I think I could be convinced to go again,” she said, getting out of bed. “I’ll be right back.”

She walked naked across the room to the bathroom, doing her business and freshening up. It was amazing how a new experience could wash away all of her bad feelings towards Glory and Lawrence, her misgivings about Dark Lothario. Even if it was just for a night.

Lola was feeling downright giddy when she came back into the room and found
the bed empty.

She stared at it for a long time, at her black dress and shoes in a puddle on the floor and Deirdre’s clothes nowhere in sight. “Damn it all to hell,” she cursed. When she ruled the world, that woman would be the first to go.

******

After church most of Glory’s old youth group gathered in Lee Thompson’s basement. Glory stood against the wall with her plastic cup of root beer and watched the rest of the room. Half a dozen girls were bouncing enthusiastically to music in one corner, while the boys gathered around the fake keg and tried to look grown up. Most of the room was between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, with many of Glory’s old friends from before school wandering around and looking important as high school graduates.

“Glory!” A female voice squealed at the base of the stairs and Melissa Bennet rushed her, pulling her into a hug so hard she almost spilled her drink. She was Glory’s best friend after Lola--Glory had barely thought of her since leaving, and felt a little guilty. “I wasn’t going to come,” Melissa continued, “and then I heard you were here! How’s school going?”

“Um, good. Really good,” Glory lied. She had gotten her grades back, and her GPA was at a 1.8. Academic probation.

“Me too! I made the Dean’s List and everything.” Melissa seemed to be bursting with good news and told Glory about her perfect grades, her part-time job as a nanny, and the car she was saving up for. “And wait ‘till you hear the best part,” she said, her voice rising to a squeal. She held up her left hand. A small diamond on a gold band was resting on her ring finger where her chastity ring used to be.

“You and Josh?” They had been going together since the tenth grade. Glory was not surprised by the ring.

“He asked me a few weeks ago, on our anniversary. Mom and Dad thought we should have waited until after school, but we just couldn’t.” She gave Glory a sly, secretive smile and gestured for her to move closer. “We did it,” she whispered in Glory’s ear. She pulled away. “My mom would kill me if she knew. We want to move in together over the summer, but you know my mom…”

Glory did. She was one of the strictest moms she’d ever met. “You could always elope to Vegas,” she offered, and Melissa giggled. Did she want to elope to Vegas with KP? If she was having sex she should be wanting a ring and an elopement. That’s what she wanted at the beginning of the year. Was she becoming a bad person, or was she just growing up? She eyed Melissa with her tiny diamond and straight A’s. Melissa wasn’t grown up yet. She thought she was, but she wasn’t.

“I have a boyfriend,” Glory offered.

“Really? That’s great! When did you start dating?”

She tried to tell Melissa about KP, but found there was so much she had to leave out because of the league. “We’ve, you know, done it too,” she added finally in a whisper because there was nothing else to say, and she wanted Melissa to see that she was as worldly as Melissa thought herself to be.

“Really? After only a few months?”

“It felt right,” Glory insisted, even as she was beginning to feel downright miserable about it. “He’s really a great guy.”

“Well,” Melissa said, doing her best to get over Glory’s low morals. “I’m glad your happy. We are both doing so well, aren’t we? And I heard that Emily was working at the Taco King over by the mall….”

Glory pretended to be interested, but deep down she just wanted to go home. Or back to school. Home didn’t really feel like home any more.

*****

It was late in the evening before the family party dispersed. Those who were sober enough left for their homes, and those who were not were camped out in sleeping bags all over the house. Torch was on a camp cot in Lawrence’s room, and Lawrence was sharing his bed with Aiden, an eight year old cousin from out of town. Aiden was a heavy sleeper, thankfully.

“Your family is really great,” Torch said in the dark.

“Are they?”

“You don’t even know what you have,” he insisted. “They are happy and friendly and alive.”

“Yeah,” Lawrence said, his voice quiet. Torch’s dead parents where the only reason he was putting up with all the fuss his mother was making. Torch hadn’t had anything like this in so long, and Lawrence had no right to be annoyed. “I guess they are pretty okay.”

******

A/N: Years ago I went to a Christian party (and it was a college party) that had a root beer keg. And I finally got to use it in a story! I know I haven’t come out and declared Glory’s Christianity, but I realized almost right away that she was, but obviously not in a crazy way.

The best part is how I jump from Glory and the Christians to Lola’s lesbian experimentation.

Lawrence is kind of a jackass, in more ways than one I suppose. He cheats on his gf and is elitist scum around his family. :) I like him though.

Eldoran totally called it in the comments about Dark Lothario having Glory's picture. I was vastly amused when I read that.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Chapter 16 week 14

Glory waited for the newscast to appear about her ill-fated rescue, but it never did, which almost made it even worse. The must have killed the story, meaning the league knew she was involved. Normally she visited Memorial Hall at least once a day to spend time with KP or steal food from the kitchen, but she avoided it completely, not wanting to run into Stone or Valkrie by accident.

But Tuesday she had to go to her training session with Romeo Avenger, and as soon as he stepped into the room he called her up to the front of the class. “Valkyrie wants to see you in her office,” he told her. “You are excused from class today.”

Glory trembled. “Is she very mad?” she asked in little more than a whisper.

“Well, yes,” he admitted.

“You would have done it, wouldn’t you?” she continued, not wanting to leave. “You couldn’t stand by and let him kidnap someone.”

“You have super-speed,” Romeo told her. “How many seconds would it have taken you to find a phone booth and change?”

“I didn’t think about it,” she admitted, suddenly less frightened and more sheepish. She always kept her costume with her--why hadn’t she thought of that?

“You’d better get up there. No sense prolonging the inevitable.”

Glory nodded and left, the entire class watching her. Only KP and Torch knew what had happened. She wondered if they would tell the others.

Valkyrie’s office was on the second floor. Glory had never been there--she’d never needed Valkyrie outside of class. The door was standing open and Glory knocked on the door frame before entering. She gave an unnecessary announcement. “I’m here.” The room was simply furnished with a few paintings in cool blues, a desk, and a chair on either side. She wasn’t sitting in the high backed desk chair turned away from Glory. Valkyrie was standing at the window with her hands behind her back. There was frost on the inside of the window even though the room was well heated, suggesting that Valkrie’s ice powers were reflecting her mood.

“America. I don’t even know where to begin with you,” Valkyrie said as she turned around. “Do you know how many rules you’ve broken?”

“Two?”

“The two most important rules in this program. Don’t try to fight crime alone while you are in training, and don’t let the public see you display your powers without your costume.”

“But Dark Lothario--”

“Dark Lothario!” Valkyrie said, her voice chilling Glory. “You have no right to be confronting and making an enemy out of someone so powerful--”

“I was fine,” Glory countered. “I think I can handle some over-weight middle aged--”

“Stop right there, America,” Valkyrie demanded. “I want you to understand, Dark Lothario is no one to be trifled with. He’s more powerful than you think he is.”

Glory wasn’t so sure about that. “I can handle myself.”

“That’s what I thought too, when I first faced him.” This time it was Valkyrie’s words, not her tone, that made Glory’s blood run cold. “I used to be like you, you know that? Full of confidence, certain that I could handle anything. But I couldn’t handle him. I tried to fight against him--and I lost.”

Glory winced. “I didn’t know that.”

“It’s not something I share with just anyone. I’m sharing it with you because I want you to understand that he is not someone to take lightly. You can’t resist him. You don’t want to. If you had been caught, if you had looked into his eyes, it would have been over for you. Do you understand? Men could buy videos of you for twenty-nine, ninety-five.” Was Valkyrie in one of the Dark Lothario Presents movies? Glory felt sick at the very idea of being on one of his videos, losing her virginity to such a vile and creepy person, and even worse, liking it.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at her feet. “I didn’t mean to break the rules, but I couldn’t let him do that to anyone else if I could stop him.” She looked back up at Valkyrie, meeting her gaze. “It was worth getting kicked out of the program. Thank you for teaching me.”

“You’re not being kicked out of the program.” Glory jumped at the sound of another woman’s voice, and the desk chair spun around, revealing a woman in a black half-mask and a black suit. She wore her black hair in a short bob.

“Who’re you?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” the woman said, standing up. She was very tall. “I’m Ms. X.” The head of the training program always seemed like such a ghost to Glory. She could hardly believe the woman had a face at all.

“I’m not being kicked out of the program?”

“Valkyrie has argued in your favor, and I agreed to let you stay on probation.” Glory’s heart flooded with relief, and it was all she could to do stop from hugging the foreboding figure. “I want to make it very clear, the opportunity we’re giving you,” she continued. “We had to gag the local news station to keep them from running your story, which was a lot of trouble, and frankly I’m not sure you’re worth it. You have a disregard for authority, and you don’t respect the rules of this institution--”

“He was kidnapping--”

“I’m not talking about Dark Lothario,” Ms. X snapped. “I’m fully aware that you told your parents about joining the league, something you were expressly forbidden to do.”

“I haven’t,” Glory said, her voice losing some of the indignation it held. Ms. X glanced at Valkyrie, who shook her head, and Glory knew she had better shut up and thank God that she was still in the program. “Okay--I was excited, I couldn’t help it. Were you people watching my house or something?”

“Just a little. The point is, you’re not shaping up to be the best candidate for the League. Valkyrie as assured me that you have the strength and character to become a good hero--a great one even. But you have to follow protocol, and keep your trap shut. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“If you screw up again you’re out of the program.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t make me regret this decision.”

“Never.”

Ms. X walked past her before she left, making her feel even smaller, leaving her alone with Valkyrie, who focused her (literall) icy stare back on Glory. “Don’t screw this up. I put my ass on the line for you,” she informed her.

“Why?”

Valkyrie smiled a little. “Because you remind me of me at your age. I know you were just trying to help, and you’ve been frustrated with all this theory we’ve been throwing at you. Next semester we’ll be going out into the field.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Now get out of here. Behave yourself over break.”

“I will.”

******

Lawrence hit the floor hard as Torch took him down towards the end of their training session, knocking the wind out of him. He’d been having a hard time with all the physical stuff involved with being a super hero, but knowing America was upstairs getting kicked out of the program wasn’t exactly helping. “Dude, I’m kicking your ass,” Torch said, offering a hand and pulling Lawrence to his feet. Torch was much better at this game than he was.

“Whatever.” He coughed air back into his lungs.

Romeo wandered over to check on him. “You okay?”

“Fine. Can I be excused a few minutes early? America’s been gone a long time. I’d like to check on her.”

“Go ahead,” Romeo said. “Okay Torch, let’s see if you can take me down.”

Lawrence hurried out of the room before anything could catch on fire.


He found America sitting on the floor in the hallway right outside of the gymnasium, eyes red from crying. “They kicked you out.” He dropped to the floor beside her. “America, I am so sorry.”

“No, I’m okay,” she said. “I’m just on probation.”

He laughed a little. “Then why are you crying?”

Lawrence nearly got the wind knocked out of him again when America threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. “I was so scared I was going to have to leave.”

“But you’re not. You’re fine.”

“I didn’t want to go home with things still weird between us.”

“Weird?”

“C’mon, KP. Ever since Thanksgiving break you’ve been weird. Is it something I did?”

“No, America. It’s me. And I’m over it. I promise.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She kissed him again. “I’m coming back next semester. Let’s celebrate.”

******


Lola sat at a table in the Red Door club, holding a drink but not sipping it, watching the club. She was determined not to let her nerves get the better of her a second time, but perhaps there was no need. It was getting late, and Dark Lothario had yet to make an appearance.

She couldn’t imagine the trouble Glory was in for thwarting his latest kidnapping. According to the Acropolis Crime Watch website, in the five years he had spent in the city (two of them locked up in the Gorram Asylum for the Criminally Insane) he had only been thwarted once before by Romeo Avenger, and on further speculation someone named Captain Honor had put him away for several years in Miami in the mid-eighties. He had never done hard time. Many of his victims refused to press charges, and he always had perfect behavior as an inmate at the two mental institutions, being let out early both times. No woman had ever beaten him before, and now Glory had done it, in full daylight, dressed as an average teenager instead of a hero. Dark Lothario had been beaten by a little girl. Lola could only imagine how much that probably burned him.

Could she protect her best friend against Dark Lothario? Should she? She loved Glory and all, but she was a hero, and Lola never could be. She knew that. She had the soul of a fascist dictator, deep down. Eventually she wouldn’t be able to hide it any more, and it would be all over between them. She didn’t want Glory to be hurt by Dark Lothario, but she didn’t want to make an enemy of him either.

Lola had never made real friends easily. The thought of losing one was
depressing.

Staring at the tabletop, Lola looked up when a pink drink with an umbrella slid across it’s surface. She looked up and saw Ratface. “Your drink looked like it was getting warm in your hand like that,” he offered. “Are you planning our next evil endeavor? I think it needs to be big, you know? Maybe we could rob a bank!”

Lola slapped the pink glass away. Ratface caught it before it could hit the floor, impressive reflexes for someone with no super powers. “I’m not in the mood, Ratface.”

“We’ve gotta strike while the iron’s hot, you know? We should come up with some sort of calling card, so people know we’ve been there.”

“I don’t think so,” she replied.

The club went strangely silent except for the music, and Lola looked around. Dark Lothario had decided to grace the club after all. The couches she had seen him sitting before were suddenly empty of people to make space for him and the dozen or so people around him.

“Why do you want to go in with his lot?” Ratface asked her, following her gaze. She let her eyes fall back to the surface of the table. “I just want to meet him, that’s all.”

“You and every other woman. The man is a god. He doesn’t need to use that super-charisma-mind-control-pheromone-whatever-the-hell he has. Women fawn all over him just because of his reputation. Wish women would do that to me.”

While he spoke his eyes had been slowly traveling down until they rested on Lola’s cleavage. “Ratface.” He brought his attention back to her eyes. “Throw your drink into your face.” He promptly tossed his half-full mug of beer into his eyes.

“Dammit, boss!” He reached blindly for some napkins. “Do you know how much that stings?”

“Not as much as hitting you would.”

She turned to request a towel from the bartender and almost tripped over Mysterious Ted, her juvenile admirer from her last trip to the club. “Mistress,” he said like and over-eager puppy. “This is my brother, the Trapdoor Spider.”

The man standing behind him was in his mid-twenties, had longish, curly hair, and wore large silver spider pin in the lapel of his jacket. “Dark Lothario would like a word with you,” Spider said.

Lola stood up. “C’mon,” she said to Ratface, who tripped over his chair as he stood up, wiping the beer off his face with his sleeve. He wasn’t much of a henchman, but he was better than nothing going to meet the most powerful super villain in the city. Lola drew herself up to her full height (not that tall) and sucked in her gut a little (not that much).

Mysterious Ted apparently hadn’t been invited because he fell away from the group without a word, fading into the crowd without a word. When they approached Dark Lothario he stood up and offered his hand.

Lola wasn’t sure what to expect. She felt no paternal recognition as they shook hands, nor did she get the urge to jump him like so many other women did. “Welcome to my city,” Dark Lothario said, and settled back into his seat, one of the women with him slithering across his lap. He ignored her, so Lola did too and sat down in a chair offered to her by Spider. Ted’s brother moved to stand behind Dark Lothario, and Ratface stood at her side, hands behind his back and looking too serious.

“Thank you,” Lola said. “I’ve been here a few months.”

“A student, am I right?”

“Yes.”

“Good for you. I never went to college myself. So, little miss ingĂ©nue. You are under the impression that you can come into my city and play with my police department?”

Lola felt a shiver of fear, but she hoped it didn’t show. “I guess so.”

Dark Lothario laughed. “You’ve got sass, little girl. So, mind control. Let me guess. You’re the reason our Mr. Wyler buggered off to Taiwan to become a monk, right? We were business partners you know. It irked me something awful.”

“Is that so?”

“What is it you want, little girl?”

“Stop calling me that,” she ordered, but he only laughed again.

“That’s not going to work on me,” he said. “You might be able to order around weak minds well enough, but mine is sharp and double edged.”

“Fine. I want to be at the top.”

“Of Acropolis? Never going to happen.”

“Of the world.” She really wished he would stop laughing. “I know I’m young. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, and I know I have a lot to learn. Maybe I’m not strong enough yet, but I will be.”

“Is that so? Well. If you want to learn from the best I’m sure we could arrange something.”

“Thank you,” she said, not sure what she was accepting.

*****


Lola felt a little dazed as she traded out cars and outfits and headed home in her BMW. Dark Lothario given her permission to sit with him in the club, and he hadn’t tried any funny business with her, to her great relief. She wasn’t sure how to breech the subject of paternity. At the moment she was just grateful to be at his side while she figured out what came next.

As she pulled into their driveway she slammed on the breaks. Lawrence’s truck was parked in her space. She glanced up--the only light on in their apartment was Glory’s bedroom. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” she whispered to herself, not wanting to believe what she was seeing.

Lawrence’s other girl. Wholesome and everything she wasn’t. As she watched at the window she could see a shadow too large to be one person. Lawrence and Glory, together. No. Not Lawrence. As though Glory ever stopped talking about him. The Kinetic Professor.
7
*****

A/N: Sorry about the lateness. It was the first week of class, and it was a bitch. I'm taking 5 classes, and on wednesdays I leave the house at 7:45 AM and get home at 9:15 PM. So updates are being moved to Friday to give me proper time to write. On the up side I'm graduating in May, so this is the last time I'll ever do this. I've been going to school on and off for ten years now, so you have no idea what a relief this is.

I didn't plan on Lola finding out about Lawrence here. It just sort of happened. This chapter ends the first half of the book, and we are officially at the 40,000 word mark. Exciting stuff.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Ch 15 Week 13

Glory returned from Thanksgiving break feeling glorious. Her parents had been so proud of her, and he sister wanted to know all about Romeo Avenger. Even her brother, surly for a twelve year old, was interested in the training program he hoped to one day join himself.

But her good mood faltered when she returned to school. Back in Acropolis Lola was moping around, and KP, he was downright catatonic. "Didn't you miss me?" she asked after their Tuesday session, stretching out across the couch in the common room in Memorial Hall and resting her legs across his lap.

"Of course," he answered, but his voice sounded flat.

"Wow. If you're going to get this depressed over missing a long weekend with me, what are you going to do over Christmas break?"

"Suffer terribly I suppose," KP said.

"He was distraught," Torch offered from across the room where he was opening some canned pasta. "Nothing like himself at all." Ever since Glory and KP had taken him under their wings he was talking more, and sometimes he even smiled. Glory was very glad, even if it meant he was teasing them.

"Poor baby," Glory cooed, scrambling up and crawling across the couch to lean against his shoulder. He put his hand on her thigh, and she grinned at him and inched it a little higher up. He had been so good about her boundaries lately, and she really felt they had grown closer as a couple. She was starting to want him to go further, but he was a perfect gentleman.

"Poor baby indeed," Captain Righteous said as he entered the room and Glory scrambled back into a more proper position. She didn’t mind Torch seeing her close to KP, but not Righteous. His very presence made any displays of affection seem dirty. "I don't see how anyone can be a 'poor baby' around here with you crawling all over their laps."

"Piss off, Righteous," KP said, standing up.

"You slipping her the sausage yet, KP?" He walked over to the kitchen and grabbed a banana out of a bowl of fruit on the counter. Glory felt her skin burning as she stared at him. He peeled the banana completely, dropping the skin on the floor. Torch picked it up without a word and tossed it into the garbage. "You wish it were this big, don't you?" he said, waving the banana at her before shoving the whole thing in his mouth.

"Impressive gag reflex," Torch couldn’t help but remark. He ducked out of the way when Righteous sent a half-hearted swing in his direction.

"You want some of this?" Righteous said around the mouthful of banana. KP stalked out of the room.

"You're not funny," Glory said to Righteous and left to follow her boyfriend, but he was nowhere in sight.

*****

Torch found Lawrence later that day in their room. Lawrence was laying on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Are you going to tell her?” Torch asked him, and Lawrence pulled the pillow out from under his head and held it over his face. He wondered if it was possible to smother one’s self.

“You think I’m a terrible person.” When Torch didn’t reply he knew it to be true. “Torch, you don’t understand. She has these legs, and that mouth. Lola is--”

“So she’s sexy. So what?”

“No, it’s not just that. She is just…amazing. But America is amazing too, in a different way. You know?”

“I wouldn’t know, actually. You’re the one boinking her.”

“I didn’t mean to have sex with Lola,” Lawrence said, lying through his teeth. He hardly resisted at all, he knew that. “It’s not going to happen again.” Lola could show up naked at his door and he wouldn’t open it. Probably.

“I don’t approve,” Torch told him. “You’re supposed to be a hero. You’re supposed to be above all that crap.”

“What about Romeo Avenger?” Lawrence said, and knew he had said something terrible as soon as the words were out. There was only a small ‘poof’ sound before the seat of the desk chair had been set aflame. Lawrence scrambled to his feet and grabbed the fire extinguisher, putting out the blaze before the smoke alarms went off. He turned back to Torch expecting him to wrap him in a whirl of apologies, but Torch only continued to glare at him.

“Romeo Avenger,” Torch said, “is not a good hero.”

At first Lawrence was confused at Torch’s vehemence, but he remembered the day before the house fire, and the murderous look he’d been giving Romeo Avenger when he kissed Cloud. “Right,” Lawrence said, not completely agreeing but at least understanding. Poor Torch. Why would a girl like Cloud want anything to do with him with guys like Romeo Avenger around? “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“I know I don’t know this Lola person, but I don’t trust her,” Torch continued, obviously not wanting the conversation to turn in his direction. “And I think the way you’re treating America is horrible.”

“It’s over with Lola,” Lawrence said. “I’m sure of it this time.”

“This time?”

“Oh, shut up.”

******


Lola tried Lawrence’s number for the second time in the last few days, but he didn’t pick up. Successfully seducing him had felt great at first, but she felt kind of…guilty afterwards. And now he wasn’t answering his phone. She wanted to apologize. Instead she set down her phone and started to dig around the kitchen for sugar. She’d polished off half a box of Twinkies and was starting to feel sick when Glory came in.

“Can I have one of those?” she asked immediately.

“Sure.” Lola slid a package across the table at her friend. “You okay?”

“I guess. You?”

“I’m great.”

They were both lying.

******


“He’s been totally weird ever since I came back from break,” Glory complained to Lola the next day. They were downtown, shopping for Christmas, walking up the steep hill that was Main Street with bags in both hands as they made their way to the car. “Like something happened over break that he’s not telling me about.”

“Why don’t you just ask him?” Lola adjusted the bags in her hands. “Why is there a hill? Why did we park so far away?”

“Because you wanted the exercise--though I don’t see how in those shoes.” Lola, as usual, was wearing some outlandish heels for their trip, where Glory was perfectly happy in a pair of dirty running shoes.

“Boys are fragile creatures,” Lola explained. “Easily manipulated. You just need to figure out what he wants--and pretend to give it to him.”

“I know what he wants,” Glory grumbled. “It’s not something you can pretend to give.” She sighed as she caught sight of the car, still over a block away, framed by a long white limousine pulling up behind it at the light. “There’s the car.”

“Finally! Glory, it’s just sex. Its no big deal at all--”

Glory was hardly paying attention. At the red light a woman began to cross the street pushing a stroller. What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion--the white limousine pulling up to block the woman’s path, the door swinging open and the arm reaching out to grab her. Glory dropped her bags. “It’s Dark Lothario!” Lola tried to grab her by the arm but she was gone, sprinting up the street. The woman cried out as her hands were wrenched away from the stroller, which immediately began to roll down-hill towards traffic.

Glory didn’t care that she was breaking the rules, displaying her powers in street clothes. She reached the stroller before it rolled into the next intersection, pulling it away and back onto the sidewalk. She stopped long enough to see Lola running as fast as she could in heels, which, for someone without super powers, was pretty fast, their bags beating against her legs. “Watch the baby,” Glory called.

She turned back at the sound of screeching tires as the limo barreled down the street, running red lights and causing cars to slam on their breaks. “Got the kid,” Lola gasped, reaching them too slowly.

“Great.”

“Glory!”

She broke into a run after the limo. It was moving faster than a large vehicle should. She picked up her pace, too much. She’d run ahead of the car and had to slow down to grab the door handle. Normally she didn’t try to do complex tasks while moving seventy miles an hour--it was harder than she imagined and took two tries. As she wrenched the door open she tripped and fell, hitting the pavement on her hip, pain shooting though her as she scraped along the road. But she was up again in moments, and as an arm scrambled to close the door. She launched herself
at the open space, falling on her stomach across the laps of two men in dark suits.

They were too surprised to react and she only had a short glimpse of Dark Lothario’s shocked face before she grabbed the still-screaming woman. “Lets get out of here,” she said, and pulled her close, knowing they would have to jump for it and having no time to prepare herself.

Hands grabbed at their clothes as they dove out of the car. Glory cried out as she hit on her already injured hip and they rolled, coming to a stop in the middle of a cross-walk.

“Ow,” she moaned, laying there still hugging the woman, who was more than happy to cling to her as well. Glory wanted to pass out, but the cars stopping around them and the people gathering prevented it. Glory sat up, wincing, while Dark Lothario’s would-be victim burst to tears in her arms.

“Hey, hey,” she comforted, her heart roaring in her chest. “It’s okay-- you’re safe now. Are you hurt?” The woman shook her head and buried her face against Glory’s shoulder.

The people were crowding around closer, all talking at once so Glory couldn’t hear a single straight sentence out of any of them over the sound over her rushing heart. Lola burst through the growing mob, and her voice was the only one she could understand. “Are you crazy? Are you okay?” She was pushing the stroller and the woman remembered her baby and pushed herself up on unsteady feet. The crowd had to catch her as she fell, but Lola pushed the baby over to a nearby woman and crouched beside Glory. “You’re bleeding.”

Glory looked down and saw her fall had shredded her jeans the entire length of her right leg, leaving her with one hell of a road rash. Lola helped her to her feet and she tested her injured leg. “It’s not bad,” she insisted. Around her the crowd began to clap and camera phones began to flash.

“You’ve done it now,” Lola said, and she let Glory lean on her as she limped up the hill to the car, now four blocks away instead of one. Had all that happened in just four blocks?

By the time they reached the car there was a news van and a reporter, sticking a microphone in her face. “Miss, what’s your name?”

Glory covered her face and Lola stepped between her and the cameras while she climbed into the car. “It’s nothing,” Lola said. “No comment.”

“Are the two of you students in the League’s training program?” she continued, and Lola slammed Glory’s door and hurried to the other side of the car. Glory ducked her head and closed her eyes as Lola pulled out of the parking spot, moving slowly while people sprang out of their way.

“That was crazy, Glory,” Lola said as she drove, a frown set in her face. “You could have been killed!”

Glory leaned back in the seat. Her head hurt and her hip hurt, the scrapes on her leg stinging. Tears began to sting her eyes as well, but she began to laugh.

“It’s not funny,” Lola said.

“I just thwarted Dark Lothario,” she said, gasping to catch her breath. “Oh my God!”

“Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?” Lola asked. Glory was having a hard time working through her exhilaration, but she knew Lola was right to be mad, somewhere in her mind anyway. “You better hope those cameras didn’t get a good look at your face.”

Glory really did stop laughing at that point. “Oh God. I am so toast.” She could just imagine the looks on Valkyrie and Stone’s faces, and they were dead scary. “They wouldn’t seriously kick me out for saving someone, would they?”

Lola shrugged. Glory was so toast.

*****

A/N:
Hey, look, an action scene. Imagine that. Unfortunately I’m not an adventure type writer. I’m more into interpersonal relationships (hilarious since I’m really bad at those in real life). I tend to fast forward through action scenes in movies. So why am I writing a super hero story? I have no idea. You can blame Joss Whedon and Dr. Horrible. And Dark Lothario, ‘cause when I thought of that name I couldn’t stay no.

In non-story news, just because I'm excited, I found out that I'm going to be graduating this spring. After 10 years, its about time.