
Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/4629552.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Underage
  Category:
      F/M
  Fandom:
      Power_Girl_(Comics)
  Relationship:
      Power_Girl/Original_Male_Character(s)
  Character:
      Power_Girl, Original_Male_Character(s), Original_Female_Character(s),
      Karen_Starr
  Additional Tags:
      Drama_&_Romance, alternative_universe, Smut, Eventual_Sex, High_School,
      Vanilla_Kink, MILFs, POV_Third_Person_Limited, superhero
  Stats:
      Published: 2015-08-22 Completed: 2016-09-06 Chapters: 11/11 Words: 86713
****** The Consort of the Crying ******
by Straumoy
Summary
     Douglas Sutherland is an average teenager, lulling through a normal
     life in quiet West Point, Kentucky. Getting saved by Power Girl from
     a freak accident, he suddenly finds himself stranded alone after the
     passing of his mother until Karen Starr becomes his legal guardian.
     When Douglas learns that Karen and Power Girl are one and the same,
     two lonely and vulnerable people seek comfort and intimacy from one
     another. Though as the saying goes; the road to hell is paved with
     good intentions.
Notes
     Disclaimer: While fairly confident in my writing skills, English
     isn't my main language. So expect typos and grammatical errors to
     show their ugly heads on occasion. If you spot one or more that is
     particular bad, please let me know and I'll fix it.
***** Prologue *****
Douglas loaded in the last few shopping bags into the back of the car before
closing the trunk with a thump. He and his mother had been out at the big
shopping mall stacking up some extra supplies as there was a big storm coming
in over the weekend. Chances were that the roads and electricity would be badly
damaged, local authorities had recommended that people should stay indoors
unless absolutely necessary. In all honesty, Douglas was quite worried about
how the weekend storm would play out as their house was close to the river. If
it decided to flood or otherwise act up, they didn't have much of a buffer to
go on. Douglas mother initially shared his worries and they seriously
considered evacuating, but when Power Girl released an official statement that
she'd be present both before, during and after the storm to assist in any way
possible, Douglas' mother calmed down and decided against evacuating.
“Ready honey?” His mother called over the wind that was starting to pick up.
“Yeah, we're good mom.” Douglas replied, taking a small pause to look up at the
dark gray clouds swirling high over them before he entered the car.
Putting on his seat belt, Douglas took a seat in the back. As the assistant
school librarian he'd stumbled over a real treasure when looking for books to
buy for the library. If the seller was to be trusted, this was a real life
grimoire. According to the seller the book's existence was first rumored around
the 12th century, and it was said to be owned by the Knights Templar, one of
the most famous armies in medieval Europe. They used the power of the tome to
gain wealth and glory. After they were condemned as heretics and murdered, the
French king Philip IV and Pope Clement V took the book for themselves, but were
unable to discover the secrets of the Templar, who had used the power of the
book to foresee their demise. After that, the book passed down from hand to
hand for centuries, eventually landing in the hands of Douglas Sutherland.
The large tome had sturdy black leather trimmings and was filled with B5-size
yellowed and stained pages made of parchment. Depicted on the moldy and worn
cover was a white hexagram symbol, the Star of David, crossed by a sword. A
metal chain with the same symbol was wrapped around the thick cover to hold it
shut. There was a strange unidentified black ink drawing on the flyleaf. Inside
the book were multiple drawings of geometric talisman shapes and several more
bizarre illustrations, like acts of copulation and monstrous drawings of
animals and humans. The text was handwritten in several different languages,
mostly Latin and French, but also Hebrew, Greek and Gaelic. There were numerous
religious quotes and passages from the Christian Gospel. The book's table of
contents lists, among others; All Spells, Summoning Demons and Raising the
Dead.
Chances were that the school would never let such a book be added to the
library, though in that case Douglas would simply give the school the money he
spent on buying it and add it to his own personal collection. Ever since he
gotten his hands on the book, Douglas had been unable to put it down despite
the fact that he could not make out a word of what it said. He'd been mulling
over the book, taking notes and copying drawings during the drive to the
shopping mall, eager to resume where he'd left off now that they'd be driving
back. As they drove off towards home, one particular drawing stood out and
caught Douglas' eye. It was a charm of sorts, involving drawing a talisman on a
piece of paper. It had the shape of a triangle formed from lines and the names
of gods. Around the circle, a passage written in Latin that read:Benedixitque
illis Deus, et dixit ad eos: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et
subjicite eam.Copying the drawing and respective text as best he could, Douglas
held it up and was quite pleased with the end result. Quite the spitting image
of the original if he may say so himself. It was then that he noticed that
they'd taken a different route on their way home.
“Mom? Why are we taking the long way around?” He asked.
“You didn't see the traffic jam sweetie? Oh man, that was one for the books.”
His mother chuckled. “I figured it was better to keep moving the long way
rather than getting stuck taking the short way.”
That did make sense Douglas thought to himself, slumping back in his seat.
Everyone in town would either be heading to or from the mall in a last ditch
effort to stock up on supplies. If traffic was terrible on the main road, they
could double back and spend the night at the nearby small hotel. The wind
started picking up and rain decided to start splashing down like there was no
tomorrow without a warning. Douglas silently hoped that the weather would be
bad now so that they'd have a nice, sunny and warm summer. Turning his
attention back to his book, Douglas figured he could give it a shot to
translate the Latin text on the charm he just copied. Before he could get
started however, there was a loud bang and the car jerked violently from left
to right before it stopped brutally and sharply swung around to the right. The
crash was so sudden that Douglas got thrown out of the car and was mere inches
away from splashing into a river when his fall was softly cushioned before he
found himself floating over the water in a gentle embrace.
“Are you alright?” A voice above him asked.
Looking up and shifting around a little bit, Douglas realized that Power Girl
held him in her arms, hoovering over the river as the wind whipped her red cape
about and the rain kept pouring down. Her sharply blue eyes didn't blink or
flicker despite the weather throwing a tantrum around her, though her blond
hair was soaked and occasionally shifted under random gusts of wind.
“Y-yeah... I'm fine, I guess.” Douglas managed to squeeze out, trying to get
his bearings.
“What's your name?” Power Girl asked as she started to glide over to the river
bank.
“D-Douglas. Uhm.. Douglas Sutherland, ma'am.” He mumbled out, realizing that he
was shaking. Whether it was from the crash or the cold rain he could not tell,
but it was not getting any better.
“Okay Douglas, you're going to be alright, but I want you to listen to me.”
Power Girl said calmly, making a soft landing on the side of the road and
putting Douglas back on his feet. Placing her glove clad hands on his
shoulders, she looked him dead in the eye and said with a calm, yet serious
tone of voice: “Go back down the road, there's a cafe on your left hand side.
Get them to call 911, tell the operator what has happened. Can you do that for
me Douglas?”
“My mother! Sh-she's... I'm..!” Douglas stammered, shock was setting in.
“I'll take care of it, now go!” Power Girl said, reassuringly if not a little
commanding.
Clenching his hands into trembling fists, Douglas turned on his heel and ran to
the cafe as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't notice the paper charm
in his right hand or the blood he'd spilled on it while his lunges burned and
the rain felt like ice daggers taking stabs at his face. The road seemed to go
on forever, his glasses fogged up and was drenched with rain, obscuring his
view. It felt as if the elements themselves decided to work against him in
every way possible. Long, strong gusts of wind tried their hardest to push
Douglas backwards or at the very least slow down his progress as much as
possible. Despite this he pressed on, adrenaline started to kick in and it felt
like he was about to tear down the front door to the cafe when he finally
opened it.
“Help! Somebody! There's been an accident!” Douglas shouted out the moment he
came through the door, stopping a few steps into the cafe to bend down and gasp
for air.
Customers and employees alike flocked around him, offered him a seat and asked
him what the ruckus was about. Still trembling and shaking like a leaf, Douglas
explained what had happened a few moments ago between deep breaths. One of the
employees, possibly the owner, picked up the phone and dialed 911, passing on
all information to the operator. Several other customers decided to brave the
increasingly bad weather to offer assistance, while a few others offered
Douglas some warm drink along with fresh towels so he could get somewhat dried
up.
Douglas remained at the cafe while he waited for word. It didn't take too long
before he could hear sirens wailing not too far away from the cafe. The
customers that had gone out to help returned soaking wet along with a couple of
police officers. They informed Douglas that as far as they could tell it was
one of the tires that suddenly exploded that was the cause of the crash.
Douglas learned that Power Girl managed to get his mother out of the car,
though because of the crash had landed the car in the river she'd been under
water for a while before Power Girl got to her. Her condition was critical and
unstable, so she was rushed to the hospital and the officers offered to take
Douglas to her. This was how the last day in April became one of the worst days
in Douglas' life.
***** Guardian Angel *****
Chapter Summary
     Power Girl acts as an guardian angel towards Douglas Sutherland while
     his mother hangs between life and death. Douglas' mother eventually
     dies in the hospital, with Power Girl offering comfort and
     consultation. He uses Power Girl for masturbation material as a
     coping mechanism.
Once the storm had passed, Douglas reluctantly decided to leave the hospital to
go home and get cleaned up. He had hardly slept, eaten or washed himself since
the crash. His mother had been rushed to surgery where to doctors managed to
improve her condition somewhat, though they were not overly optimistic about
her chances. At the same time they urged him to get some rest and freshen up,
promising to keep him updated on any changes. With no drivers license, let
alone a car, Douglas was forced to rely on taxi to get home. Buses were out of
the question as the storm had taken a big chunk out of the bus central,
wrecking havoc on nearly all the buses parked there. Heading down to the first
floor, Douglas asked in the reception if he could borrow a phone.
“I'm sorry sir, we seem to have some problems with the phone lines because of
the storm.” The nurse at the desk said apologetically. “Currently only the
intercom is working.”
“Just my luck. My cellphone is at the bottom of some river. Any chance I can
borrow yours?” Douglas asked.
“I'm very sorry sir, but since this is a hospital we have a strict policy
regarding cellphone use. You could try the payphones outside on the parking
lot. I think they are on a separate line.” The nurse suggested to Douglas.
Thanking for her time, Douglas headed out to the parking lot and found the
payphones, only to discover that even these didn't have a dialing tone when he
listened in on the phone handle. Feeling like he was at the end of his rope,
Douglas slammed the handle back on the hook, angry at the world that for some
reason refused to cut him some slack. The sound of something fluttering in the
wind, like a piece of cloth or a flag, caught his ear and as he turned around
he saw Power Girl hoovering a good 10-12 feet over the parking lot, looking
down on him. There was something about the look in her blue eyes that made
Douglas feel uncomfortable and awkward. The two of them stood like this for a
long moment, before Power Girl decided to make a gentle landing and walked up
to Douglas. With each step she took Douglas could not help notice that the top
of her large breasts jiggled around like domes of jelly within the confines of
her costume.
“Hey there, how's it going?” She asked when she stopped a few steps away from
Douglas, resting her right hand on her hip.
“Uh... not so good to be honest.” Douglas replied, his glance shifting around
nervously as the last thing he wanted now was unwanted attention.
“Yeah...” Power Girl sighed sadly. “I'm sorry Douglas. For what it is worth,
I'm really sorry.” Her face sank down with a clouded sad look as her voice rang
with honest sympathy for Douglas' situation.
“You remember my name? Wow, I guess I must have made an impression or
something.” Douglas said sheepishly.
“You could say that.” Power Girl said with half a smile on her lips. “I just
wished we'd met under better circumstances.” She added, the look in her eyes
turned sad and distant. Feeling the mood getting more depressed, Douglas
figured he better say something to ease the atmosphere.
“Uh... it's not like I blame you or anything. I'm sure you did everything you
could.” Douglas lurked out, feeling it was wrong to take out his overtired
frustrations on Power Girl. He was just one, one of many people that Power Girl
had save over the weekend, not to mention her entire career. The fruits of her
efforts should not be rotten, Douglas thought to himself. It could lead to her
quitting her heroic exploits and the world would take a sharp turn for the
worse should that ever happen.
“Listen, it might not be in my place, but you should get some rest.” Power Girl
started of carefully. She looked down and to her left, avoiding looking
straight at Douglas. To Douglas Power Girl looked so fragile, scared and sad.
It was not something he'd normally associate with the Mistress of Might, who'd
normally charge ahead brimming with confidence, bravery and courage. Normal
folks like Douglas turned to Power Girl when the going got though and she would
in turn inspire them to keep on going. It was strange to see her appear so
powerless, helpless even.
“The doctors and nurses tell me the same thing.” Douglas said, forcing a smile.
“Who am I to disobey the doctors orders, right?” He tried to laugh, but it came
out as a false, weak front. The whole thing made him feel even more pathetic.
“Say, you wouldn't have any trouble getting home or anything?” Power Girl
asked, looking up with hints of hope shining in her eyes. There was something
about her voice and eyes that gave Douglas the impression that she wanted to be
of use to him or that she wanted to make it better somehow.
“Actually...” Douglas started, pointing his thumb over his shoulder and at the
payphones. “I was going to call a taxi, but the phones are out.”
“Yeah, I heard that some telephone equipment got flooded in the storm.” Power
Girl said. “I flew over to Asheville to pick up some spare parts. Things should
be back to normal by tomorrow afternoon I think.”
“You wouldn't happen to have a cellphone that I could borrow?” As Douglas
asked, he got this weird mental image of Power Girl fishing out a cellphone out
of her cleavage. It made sense, sort of. As far as he could tell Power Girl's
low-cut form-fitting white bodysuit didn't appear to have any pockets sewed
into it. With no apparent pockets along the long sleeves with stirrup hands,
nor on the side of the mock turtleneck, that kind of left him with the iconic
shallow oval hole positioned at the center of her chest. Still it was also a
sure tell sign that he was very tired and long overdue for some proper rest.
“No, I'm afraid not. I can give you a lift though.” Power Girl offered, her
worried face melting away to a faint smile.
“Oh, oh no. I mean, thanks for the offer but...” Douglas started, loosing trail
of his words. “You... what I'm trying to get across is that it be wrong of me
to use you like a glorified taxi.”
“Not at all. Helping out people is what I do.” Power Girl shrugged as if it
didn't bother her the slightest. “You've had a rough couple of days and you
deserve some slack. Just give me directions and I promise I won't drop you.”
Despite he suspected that he'd get some flak for it later down the line,
Douglas caved in and accepted Power Girl's offer. She picked him up much like a
princess and they had a smooth lift off. Resting in her arms, Douglas got very
conscious over their difference in height; Power Girl was like a small giant
with her height at a flat 6' compared to Douglas' rather unimpressive 5'10''.
Once they were up in the air, Douglas asked Power Girl to fly north, north-east
towards the Ohio river. Seeing the town from above was a little disorienting at
first, but during the gentle flight Douglas started to get his bearings and
recognized various landmarks. From there he was able to give Power Girl more
specific directions as well as telling her which house to keep an eye for.
Power Girl's telescopic vision came in very handy since it allowed her to spot
Douglas' house for afar even after only a rather vague description of it.
The flight itself was short and very soothing. Douglas had no idea of the peace
and tranquility one could experience just a few hundred feet above ground. He
reasoned this was a great way for Power Girl to unwind and catch a breather in
an otherwise very hectic lifestyle. Though all the tranquility in the world
could not keep Douglas mind of what he quite literally had in his lap; Power
Girls voluptuous bosom rested heavily in his lap, making his cock hard as a rod
of iron and poking against the inner side of Power Girl's breasts. He felt like
dying over a thousand times in embarrassment, however he found some faint
comfort when he stole a few glances at Power Girl's face. It was possible that
she was so busy flying, similar to how one is busy or focused on driving, that
she didn't notice. Douglas was a little concerned that if she did notice, her
face did not show it, though secretly hoped that she simply didn't care.
“Here we go, home sweet home.” Power Girl said as she slowly turned from a
horizontal orientation to a vertical one while descending down to the ground,
the soles of her boots tickling the wet grass outside Douglas' house. Carefully
she let Douglas out of her arms and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he
was quick to get a few steps between them as well as facing away from her in an
effort to hide his raging boner.
“Thanks for the lift ma'am. It was nice.” Douglas mumbled while trying to
adjust his pants as discreetly as possible.
“It was no trouble Douglas, no trouble at all.” Power Girl said and Douglas
could practically hear the smile on her face as she said it.
Douglas bid Power Girl a good evening and headed inside his home. Locking the
front door, he headed straight for the bathroom and took a long warm shower,
washing away a good chunk of his fatigue. Spanking clean, Douglas walked around
the house in nothing but his glasses and boxers. His thin and flimsy 5'10''
tall frame was not exactly something the ladies would swoon over, nor would his
glasses and unstylish brown haircut make any panties fly off into high orbit
around the planet. The only thing Douglas had going for him was that he could
get one hell of a tan for virtually no effort at all, something his mother
really envied him. Standing in the middle of the living room, memories of his
mother washed over him and Douglas stood quietly in tears, his sobs chasing
away the silence that lingered all around him.
Having calmed down, Douglas got some fruit from the kitchen and tried to eat it
in an effort to have at least something in his stomach. It didn't taste bad,
but not good either. The fruit just ended up as a soggy mass in his mouth that
no matter how much he chewed on it, it didn't feel ready to be swallowed just
yet. Eventually Douglas forced it down and washed it further down with a glass
of water. With that out of the way, he decided to hit the bed to get some
sleep. After nearly an hour of just laying in bed, too tired to be awake and
too awake to fall asleep, Douglas closed his eyes and reached down to his cock.
The blackness behind his eyelids were his silver screen, his memories of Power
Girl were his film reel and his mind was his film studio. Douglas traced back
through today's memories to the first meeting with Power Girl at the parking
lot.
In his fantasy world his fatigue and shitty circumstances were carefully edited
out. Douglas focused shamelessly on Power Girl's massive boobs and the way they
jiggled around inside her chest window. He amplified the jiggling effect by
adjusting Power Girl's walk, now she wiggled her ass a lot more, tilting her
hips with every step. The end result was a real feast for the eyes, one that
fantasy Douglas leered at lustfully. Power Girl's worried and sad facial
expression was swiftly replaced with an erotic, lust starved smile.
“You wouldn't happen to have a cellphone that I could borrow?” Fantasy Douglas
asked, brimming with a cocky confidence as he knew exactly what would happen
next.
“I do!” Power Girl beamed as a giddily fan girl standing in front of her
greatest idol. “But I can't reach it!” She added, with a super fake, sad pout.
Power Girl leaned forward, giving fantasy Douglas a great view down her
cleavage.
“Whelp, there's no helping now is there?” Fantasy Douglas said as he rubbed his
hands and licked his lips.
“I guess not!” Power Girl giggled like an air-headed fan girl with a super
happy grin on her face.
Fantasy Douglas dived in between Power Girl's massive breasts with his right
hand. Power Girl moaned and groaned loud enough to put most porn stars to shame
every time Douglas' hand shifted around or his fingers moved. The cellphone was
one elusive little shit, though it was all playing out as Douglas wanted it.
His fantasy self resorted to using his left hand on Power Girl's under boobs to
try to push the cellphone closer to his right hand that was fumbling inside her
cleavage. This sent Power Girl to new level of ecstasy, making her run her
fingers through her hair while thrusting her chest up and forward.
“Stand still you Kryptonian Bombshell.” Fantasy Douglas half scolded Power
Girl.
“But...! Your touch feels SO GOOD!” Power Girl's voice was more of a sensual
roar than anything else.
Finally fantasy Douglas managed to fish out the cellphone that had eluded him
for so long. The sudden removal of his hand sent Power Girl straight to a
climax strong enough to make her knees buckle and fail. As fantasy Douglas
started dialing for a taxi, Power Girl sat on her knees and ass at his feet,
her face a drooling mess of senseless bliss. Noticing the bulge in his pants,
Power Girl helped herself to his cock, splattering the chest window on her
costume with saliva as she coated fantasy Douglas' cock over and over again.
While focusing on fucking Power Girl's mouth pussy, real world Douglas creamed
out a load that felt unusually satisfying. However once the after glow started
fading, Douglas felt a mixture of guilt and dirtiness.
The next morning, school resumed and while Douglas was very hesitant to attend,
he decided to go to school in an effort to prevent drowning in a pool of
depressed helplessness. Besides the school administration was notorious for
being unsympathetic and generally speaking having ice water in their veins.
Douglas sported his usual outfit; bright brown pants, plain white short armed
shirt with a green sleeveless sweater on top. While it wasn't unheard of that
he had breakfast alone, today it was extra difficult. He had to take a few
pauses to keep from crying, for he knew if he started crying now he'd be unable
to stop until he was out of tears. Not really feeling at the top of his game
and hoping the day would pass on without incident, Douglas finished the dishes
and walked to school.
Thankfully the school was just 3 blocks away and the weather was not to shabby
either. It was after all the 5th of May already and spring seemed to have come
in with full force. Last weekends storm was the dying breath of last years
rough weathered winter, good riddance to that. As Douglas walked down the
street he took in the familiar surroundings and noticed things had changed
because of the storm. A lot of minor tree branches and twigs were scattered
over the street, some of the stone tiles on the house roofs were either out of
place or flat out missing, garden furniture had been blown from one garden to
the next and there was even a bedroom window that had cracks in it. Douglas
figured that by the time he would be heading back home from school, the same
street would be buzzing with people cleaning things up. For now though, they
were either still asleep, having their breakfast or getting organized before
the big clean up.
“Doug! My man! How's it going bro?” Eddie Kaplin called out merrily from
behind, closing in on Douglas on his red bike.
Eddie was more or less the loud clown of the class, with his jet black hair,
always a little scruffy, bright brown shirt casually buttoned up and never
really tucked into his pants. His pants were more often than not dirty to some
extent. Douglas and Eddie went way back, the two were often referred to as the
dynamic duo by teachers and fellow classmates. While Douglas was on the quiet
and somewhat introverted side of things, Eddie was on the other side of the
scale; just a tad too loud and quite extroverted. Still the two of them had hit
it off pretty much from day one way back at elementary school. More often than
not Douglas found himself acting like a break to Eddie's occasionally wild
ideas or escapades, something Eddie was very grateful of. It was not unusual
for Eddie to think things over after Douglas told him to quit, only to realize
that his initially brilliant idea would end in a pile of trouble and scolding.
“Morning Ed.” Douglas said back, not really sharing his early morning
enthusiasm.
“Crazy storm man! Let me tell you, Pam was scared out of her pants. She must
have wet the bed six times.” Eddie laughed before he noticed something was off
with Douglas. “Hey man, you okay?”
“Nah, it's my mom. We crashed into the river when we drove home from the mall
on Friday.” Douglas sighed, feeling a weight of his chest simply by talking
about it.
“Ah shit dude, that's horrible. Is it bad?” Eddie said as sympathetic as only a
best buddy can.
“Some pretty nasty shit alright. Doctors aren't happy.” Douglas could feel his
voice starting to crack up and tremble, his eyes burning, ready to flood his
cheeks with tears. “We just got to wait and see.” He said with a whimpered
voice, biting his lower lip to hold back the sobs that were building up in his
chest.
“Dude, I'm so sorry alright?” Eddie said, the tone in his voice suggested that
he was starting to freak out as well. “The hell are you going to school for
anyway? You should be with your mom for Christ sake!”
“I don't know Ed. I just don't... besides I might flunk math if I...” Douglas
started, but Eddie cut him off short.
“Doug, screw math man! Screw it right up the ass!” Eddie was pissed, Douglas
could tell by the glare in his eyes. “This is your mother man. Life and death
'n' shit. Get going you fool, I'll take the heat in math class for ya.”
“Ed...” Douglas said, taking a deep breath to suck up the snot in his nose.
“Okay, I know we kinda have a moment here and all, but that's fucking gross
dude.” Eddie said with a poorly hidden tone of disgust in his voice.
Douglas' legs moved as if they had a life of their own. The joints hurt, his
school bag bounced around on his back and his chest felt like a furnace while
he darted down a gravel road in hopes of catching a bus to the hospital. Only a
few bus routes were operational and thankfully they had given the one that
swung by the hospital a priority. When Douglas arrived at the hospital visiting
hours had just opened and he headed straight to his mothers room at the 2nd
floor. Her room was at the end of the hallway, just before the glass bridge
that lead to the other wing of the hospital. Aside from the steady bleeping of
some medical survey systems, the room was dead silent. Slumping down in a chair
next to the bed, Douglas felt conflicted. He'd ditched school, probably for the
first time in his life. Part of him told him it was wrong, he should head back
and attend class. Another part however reasoned or even argued that if there
ever was a time to ditch school, it was now. This mental tug of war made
Douglas restless and he started pacing around the room before he finally
settled in front of the window, looking out over the trees and the school that
laid beyond.
After spending many hours just sitting by his mother side, talking a little to
the few nurses that came by to check on her, Douglas headed across the street
to Spiffo's to get something to eat. News about his mother was scarce, though
the nurses had informed the doctor that Douglas wanted to know if there were
any changes. However it seemed that the doctors were too busy with other
patients or making rounds to swing by. As strange as it sounded, Douglas took
no news as good news in disguise. His logic was that bad news traveled fast, so
if the doctors weren't running after him with news, things were at the very
least not getting worse. Not that the current status quo was any desirable
position to be in by any means. Spiffo's was not crowded, but at the same time
not totally vacant either. Douglas ordered a wrap with BBQ chicken, some salad
and sour cream, along with a bottle of soda. It wasn't until he took his first
bite that Douglas noticed that he was in fact starving.
Once he finished his wrap, Douglas headed back outside to spend the last few
hours left of visiting hour with his mother when he saw Mr Thompson from the
school administration lurking about. There was no way this could be a chance
encounter Douglas thought, but a small part of him silently hoped that was the
actual case. True enough, as soon as Mr Thompson spotted Douglas, he darted
over with a speed that was unheard of for a man of his... volume. Panting and
wheezing, Mr Thompson planted a fat hand on Douglas shoulder to keep him from
getting away. Not that Douglas had any plans of making a run for it, he did
know when the game was up.
“Mr Sutherland! What...” Mr Thompson wheezed. “...just... what do... you think
you're doing?!”
“I'm sorry I ditched school Mr Thompson, I really am. But you see...” Douglas
started with a calm tone of voice, thinking it was the best approach to defuse
the situation.
“Don't talk back to me!” Mr Thompson snapped. “You... you know our school's
policy, don't you Mr Sutherland?”
“Yes I do, but given...” Douglas replied, only to be cut off again.
“Then you shouldn't run off like some damn drunk!” Mr Thompson shrieked at the
top of his voice, making other people in the street pause to see what the fuzz
was all about.
“Mr Thompson please, you're making a scene.” Douglas tried again to be calm,
though he felt anger building up inside him and patience leaking out of his
system.
“No I'm not!” Mr Thompson said, sound more like a kid throwing a tantrum than a
grown man in his early 40's. “You're coming back to school this instant!”
An ambulance drove by, sirens blaring and lights flashing while Douglas tried
to resist Mr Thompson dragging him back to school. Nurses and some doctors
exited the hospital to receive the patient while the paramedics from the
ambulance gave them a quick run down of the patients' status. The sudden ruckus
was over almost as soon as it started, as the moment the hospital doors closed
the street fell back to its more normal noise level.
“Let go of me! Mr Thompson, I am not going back to school!” Douglas objected,
raising his voice and yanking his arm free from Mr Thompson.
“Is there a problem?” A familiar voice asked, her tone having a stern edge to
it.
Looking up Douglas and Mr Thompson saw Power Girl with her suit partially
covered with blood splatter holding an African-American woman in her arms
coming in for a landing. Power Girl put the woman down, who thanked her greatly
before she darted inside the hospital. Mr Thompson took the opportunity to
straighten up his appearance a little as Power Girl walked over.
“No ma'am, there is no problem here.” Mr Thompson said. “Just getting this kid
here back to school, where he belongs.”
“Is that so?” Power Girl said with a slight tilt to her head, not sounding
fully convinced. “Douglas?” She asked, turning her attention to him.
“Yes I'm ditching school, but only to visit my mother.” Douglas admitted,
feeling himself shrinking in front of the two adults in front of him.
“Listen Mr...?” Power Girl started, casting a sideways glance at Mr Thompson.
“Thompson, Karl Thompson. At your service.” Mr Thompson supplied.
“Mr Thompson, I suggest you cut your student some slack.” Power Girl began.
“His mother's life is hanging by a thread. He could loose her at any moment.”
“Bah, you wouldn't believe what sob stories kids these days cough up.” Mr
Thompson retorted. “Give them any slack and they run you over.”
That seemed to push all the wrong buttons in Power Girl's head, since her face
flared up to a poorly contained anger and her whole pose shifted to a more
intimidating stance. The effect was imitate on both Douglas and Mr Thompson as
Power Girl's furious aura reeked around her like some foul stench. Even people
from across the street took notice and made a convenient U-turn, shying away
from the potential shit storm that was about to unfold.
“Well Mr Thompson, in this case I can personally vouch for the so called sob
story, as it was I that pulled his mother's wrecked car out of the goddamn
river.” Power Girl said with clenched teeth. “The story checks out and I will
not tolerate you keeping a child away from his dying mother!”
Whether it be the pose, her tone of voice, the choice of words or the blood
spattered costume, Power Girl managed to get the message across. Mr Thompson
mumbled a lot under his breath and walked back to his car empty handed. Power
Girl kept a glaring eye on him until she heard the engine start and saw him
driving off. She let her anger vent out with a sharp sigh through her nose and
noticed Douglas was still standing next to her, shaking like a leaf.
“Did I overdo it?” She asked carefully, her anger fading and her stance relaxed
as if she was afraid Douglas would break like a fragile work of art.
“Yes ma'am. For a moment I thought you were going to tear him apart with your
bare hands.” Douglas replied. “You certainly looked the part.”
“Oh this?” Power Girl said, turning her attention to the blood splatter. “There
was an accident at the McCoy Logging Corporation, poor fellow had lost a lot of
blood. One of his co-workers offered to donate blood, so I flew her over.”
Douglas was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that Power Girl was
acting so casual about the whole blood deal. Supposedly if you see enough of
the stuff you get used to it, kind of? Still Douglas was happy for the timing
as he was certain that had it not been for Power Girl, he'd be stuck in the car
together with Mr Thompson. Even if her anger had put the fear of God in him,
Douglas could feel Power Girl's concern for him and it made his day a little
better. With no one close to really rely on, it was nice to have this total
stranger stand up for him as if they had been life long friends. Douglas wanted
to make a point of thanking Power Girl properly, but was unsure how.
“Listen... I uh...” Douglas fumbled with his words, looking more at his
shoelaces than at Power Girl. Even so, at the corner of his eye he noticed that
Power Girl was all ears, patiently waiting to hear what he had to say. “Thank
you ma'am, for what it is worth. Thank you very much.”
“You're most welcome Douglas.” Power Girl said with a warm smile on her face.
“How's your mother doing, if you don't mind me asking?” Her concern sounded
genuine.
“No changes since last time.” Douglas replied, feeling his heart weighing like
a chunk of iron in his chest as the words came out.
“I see...” Power Girl said with a quiet tone, her pose shifted to be more
withdrawn as if she was distancing herself from Douglas without actually moving
away. “Do you think I can see her?”
“Y-yeah, I guess.” Douglas agreed with a surprised look on his face. “But why?”
He smacked himself in the head mentally for blurting out such a stupid and rude
question.
“I should get this washed off before it dries up completely.” Power Girl said,
tucking a little at her splattered form-fitting suit. “And your mother must be
a wonderful woman, since she's raised you to be so polite and kind. I would
just like to meet her, if that is alright by you.”
All the attention that Douglas got because he was walking side by side with
Power Girl through the hospital halls was nearly unbearable. How on Earth did
she cope with this on a day to day basis? He wanted to look up at her in awe
and wonder, but found his shyness overwhelming. There was no way he could live
with himself gawking at Power Girl at point blank range with every soul in the
hospital unable to take their eyes of them. It would be beyond humiliating if
Power Girl caught him staring at her like some half dead fool. Still, the ever
subtle bouncing of Power Girl's breasts as she walked only a few feet away was
also a constant temptation and distraction for Douglas.
“I'll make a short stop here.” Power Girl said, nodding at the ladies bathroom.
“Is your mother's room far from here?”
“No ma'am. It's just up ahead, second door on the right.” Douglas explained,
pointing down the hallway.
Power Girl gave him a short nod before she walked inside the ladies bathroom.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Douglas suddenly felt a few tons lighter. Maybe
he should have declined after all? Sometimes he wished he had more backbone,
but then again he'd need a backbone of solid titanium to turn down someone like
Power Girl. Returning to his mother's room, Douglas took a seat on the edge of
the bed and held her hand. A few minutes later the door opened and Power Girl
entered, silently closing the door behind her. Her form-fitting suit had gotten
a rough scrubbing in water and though the blood splatter was faint, the suit
itself was watery wet instead. On light feet she carefully approached the bed
and looked down on Douglas' mother. While she didn't say or do anything
special, there was a sense of comfort in her presence that Douglas found most
welcoming. Minutes ticked by as they were simply frozen in the moment, soaking
it in, carefully crafting a memory of serenity that they could visit at a later
time.
“I should get going.” Power Girl whispered gently with a faint smile. Placing
her hand on Douglas shoulder, she added: “It was really nice to meet your
mother Douglas. Don't be too late on your way home, okay? Take care of
yourself.”
Douglas couldn't muster out any words, the feelings he had for Power Girl's
gentle, kind comfort washed over him like torrents of water. The best way to
describe it would be a bottomless pit of gratitude. He could feel his eyes
starting to burn with tears and all he could do was whimper quietly and nod his
thanks to Power Girl. Looking at Power Girl's eyes, it seemed like she
understood perfectly and was mere inches away from getting caught in the moment
as well. With a sharp, though quiet breath she tore herself free and left as
quietly as she'd arrived. A long minute after the closing thud of the door,
Douglas collected himself enough to take his leave. For all its ups and downs,
Douglas agreed with himself that today had been a good day and during the bus
ride back home, he had a content smile on his face.
Well back home, Douglas found himself tossing around in his bed. For whatever
reason he couldn't get his mind to stop racing around like a Formula 1 car on a
rainy track. This restlessness made it impossible for him to lay still enough
to let sleep curl itself around him and get some peace and quiet. In an effort
to counter this, he tried to usual tricks; drink some water, take a piss and
read a book, or at least a chapter of a book. All he got out of that was a
sloshing sensation in his stomach from the water and a mild headache because of
the reading. Not exactly what one could call an improvement. Sighing to
himself, Douglas finally admitted defeat and restored to the final sleep trick
he knew; masturbating.
Finding it difficult to get things going by imagining the cheerleader squad
servicing him, Douglas' mind shifted focus to today's encounter with Power
Girl. They were back at the hospital, walking down the hallway. The awkward
attention that had showered them before was swiftly edited out of the fantasy
reconstruction of the event. Fantasy Douglas was at his usual confident self,
no trace of shyness or awkwardness around Power Girl, despite that her walk was
again “upgraded” to a sexy catwalk with more hip swaying and boobs bouncing.
“I'll make a short stop here.” Power Girl said, nodding at the ladies bathroom.
“Sure thing babe.” Fantasy Douglas nodded, to which Power Girl replied with
some inviting eyes.
After waiting a small moment, fantasy Douglas headed inside the ladies room.
None of the stalls were taken, only he and Power Girl were present. She had
stripped out of her form-fitting suit, soaking it in steaming warm water in the
sink. With just boots, belt, gloves and cape on, Power Girl's body was pure
goddess material. Casually, yet confidentially fantasy Douglas walked around
and behind Power Girl. She raised a glance at the mirror and gave him a sexy,
approving smirk before turning her attention back to scrubbing her suit.
Looking at her curved ass as Power Girl shifted her weight from one leg to
another a couple of times, fantasy Douglas could wait no longer.
Stepping up, he pressed his bulging groin between Power Girl's ass cheeks and
leaned forward to cup her large domed shaped breasts in his hands. Power Girl's
response was a sharp erotic gasp, along with an approving smile as she tilted
her head to the side and backwards. Arching her back, Power Girl folded her
hands over Douglas' and started to massage her breast while slowly rotating her
hips, rubbing the bulge with the inner sides of her ass cheeks. Feeling the
soft, warm and smooth texture of her breasts, fantasy Douglas let Power Girl
guide his hands upwards before shaping his fingers like talons and scraping
downwards until he cupped the underside of her mouthwatering breasts.
“Oooh Doug! You feel so damn good.” Power Girl moaned as she made hissing
sounds while taking deep, sensual breaths.
With the absolute power of imagination, Douglas magically removed the pants and
underwear of his fantasy self and rammed his throbbing hard cock balls deep
into Power Girl's cunt. Having no real reference to such a sensation, Douglas
just went with the images of him pumping Power Girl from behind; sweat drops
forming and tracing down her skin, her hair shaking around with every thrust,
their hips working in sync to get the highest pleasure and of course his hands
actually struggling to contain Power Girl's massive tits from flopping all over
the place.
Back in reality, Douglas was working his manhood as fast as he could.
Tightening his grip just a little extra for the gushing release, climax hit him
like a monster wave from the Pacific Ocean. Sweaty and panting, Douglas basked
in the afterglow of his orgasm, though his feeling of content faded into one of
guilt. Wondering if he was some sort of deviant for having such thoughts and
fantasies about a person that had been so good and kind to him, Douglas finally
found sleep.
The following day Douglas decided to head to school rather than visit his
mother. It would be for the better to carry on as much as he normally would. Of
course he wanted to visit his mother, but only after school. Douglas intended
to do his homework at the hospital and stay as long as he could before heading
back home. It was a compromise and a healthy middle ground that would not tear
him apart from the inside out. When discussing this self made agreement with
Eddie during their regular walk to school, Eddie wondered where Douglas had
found such sage like wisdom. Explaining to Eddie that Power Girl had a play in
the matter, the conversation quickly shifted both gear and topic.
“Hold up! Just hold the hell up!” Eddie said, hitting the breaks on his bike as
hard as his hands allowed. “You, Douglas Sutherland not only talked to Power
Girl, but spent a good hour with her at the hospital?!”
Christ, Douglas thought to himself. In the heat of the moment he had completely
forgotten about Eddie's obsession over Power Girl. While a lot of guys of all
ages liked Power Girl, Eddie was in a class of his own. If there ever was a guy
that was beyond super desperate for just a glance of Power Girl, it would be
Eddie. His room was loaded with posters, he had massive tomes worth of news
clippings and he frequent on all the internet sites that covered anything
related to Power Girl. As far as Eddie was concerned, Power Girl was the
embodiment of perfection, especially as a sexual partner. There was something
about the idea that she could have any man, or woman for that matter, in the
world, yet tactfully rejected any and all proposals. Power Girl was something
akin to the ultimate conquest; win her over and you'd officially won the game
of life. At least as far as Eddie was concerned.
Douglas on the other hand had a more level headed or realistic expectations of
Power Girl. Yes, things had changed significantly due to her rescuing him a few
days back and while subsequent meetings could be considered fuel for his wet
dreams, it also left a bad aftertaste. Douglas felt bad or even guilty of
jerking off to Power Girl, as he saw her more as a person more than ever. It
was probably very foolish and even flat out naive to think so, but being so
close to her and seeing what she was really like, made Douglas admire her.
Regardless of his high opinion of her, there was little denying the raging
hormones of a teenager and as wrong as it felt like, the temptation was simply
too big to ignore.
“So what did you guys talk about?” Eddie asked with a disturbingly perverted
grin plastered all over his face, leaning deeply over the steering wheel of his
bike.
“Not much, I mean she wanted to see my mom and we just kinda... sat there.”
Douglas shrugged.
“Just sat there?” Eddie said, sounding both disappointed and not even remotely
convinced.
“Well if you want to be technical about it, Power Girl stood and I sat.”
Douglas sighed, feeling a little frustrated. “Besides, what was I suppose to
do? Make a move on her?”
“Hell yeah!” Eddie said, with a flabbergasted tone of voice as if it was
painfully obvious.
Douglas was about to counter with the even more obvious fact that one does not
simply make a move on Power Girl, especially if you have close to no experience
with making any moves on anyone. That plan was interrupted with the arrival of
Kris, another friend of Douglas. Kris was a hot headed girl who showed very
little restraint when speaking her mind. Her short purple dyed hair, sleeveless
jeans west, black tank top and matching pitch black pants made her stand out
from the usual crowd. Due to her tomboyish attitude, there were some rumors
that she was a lesbian or at the very least bi, though as far as Douglas and
Eddie knew it was not the case.
“Morning guys!” She greeted them cheerfully. “How's it going?”
“Hey Kris, good to see you.” Douglas greeted her.
“Where have you been the past few days anyway? Mr Thompson was kinda pissed.”
Eddie asked Kris.
“Free flowing river of shit.” Kris said with a perfectly straight face.
“Aw man! That's just nasty girl!” Eddie said, making a face. “Way too much
information. The hell did you tell us that for?”
“Duh, you did ask.” Kris snorted back, showing little sympathy for Eddie's
disgust.
“I gotta agree with Eddie on this one Kris.” Douglas chimed in. “You could have
lied.”
“Oh don't be such babies you two.” Kris dismissed Douglas' argument with a
brush of her hand. “We all equals in terms of shit and piss.”
“Dude!” Eddie objected, while Douglas decided to drop the subject entirely.
The trio had some good laughs on their way to school. Kris was brought up to
speed regarding Douglas' mom and was quick to express her sympathies and
support. She and Eddie spent the rest of the walk arguing whether one simply
could make a move on Power Girl or not, with Douglas caught in the cross fire.
At least for now the worries of the world felt a thousand miles away for
Douglas. Bickering between Eddie and Kris aside, this was a million times
better than sitting at the hospital, worrying sick about things that one had
virtual no control over. First half of the school day passed without much
incident. When lunch time arrived however, Eddie was determined to get all the
details from Douglas and he had earned it. After all, Eddie had been totally
quiet about it during the recesses between class.
School cafeteria was the place to be if you wanted to have some food and drink
during lunch. Even if you didn't show up for the food itself, it was a great
place to hang out in general. It had eight large tables and benches for the
students to sit and eat, at the far end from the entrance was the kitchen and
counter, along with a back door that lead out to the trash dumpsters. Windows
dotted the wall that ran parallel along the parking lot at the back of the
school. On the opposite wall there were one soda machine and two snack vending
machines. Aside from the main entrance from the 1st floor hallway, there was a
secondary entrance that lead to the schools grassy back yard. During late
spring and early summer, it was popular to chill out in the grass during recess
and sometimes teachers took their classes outside, especially if it was a self-
study class.
“Okay, so lets start at the beginning okay?” Eddie said, taking a seat on the
bench right next to Douglas.
“Really? We have to do this?” Kris objected.
“No it's okay Kris. I don't mind.” Douglas assured her, trying to prevent yet
another cafeteria scene from unfolding. “So me and my mother were driving back
from the mall.”
“YOU GOT RESCUED BY POWER GIRL?!” Eddie shot out of his seat as if it was on
fire, making every soul in the cafeteria choke on their food and spinning
around to see what the hell was going on.
“Yes...” Douglas hissed at Eddie, hiding the side of his face in embarrassment
with his right hand. “Now will you sit down?”
Once Eddie sunk back in his seat and as the cafeteria lulled back to its usual
self, Douglas considered telling the rest of the story. Figuring that Eddie
would have a heart attack on the spot if he told him that Power Girl had given
him a lift home from the hospital, Douglas decided to leave that detail out of
the story.
“So at any rate, the next day I decide to ditch school and stay with my mom.”
Douglas continued.
“My idea that.” Eddie shot in, sounding a little proud of that fact.
“I stay with my mom like... way, way past lunch time.” Douglas carried on after
shooting Eddie a quick annoyed look. “Naturally I was starving, and as I come
out from Spiffo's... Mr Thompson sees me.”
“Oh shit.” Kris giggled, picturing what would happen next as Mr Thompson was
well known among the students.
“You got that right. He starts throwing shit around, making a big scene.”
Douglas explained, realizing he was actually enjoying himself retelling the
story. “In comes Power Girl, from the sky, blood over her suit and just tells
Mr Thompson to get out of my hair.”
“Wait, what?” Eddie said, looking confused. “Just like that?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Douglas nodded. “It should have been caught on tape. Power
Girl can be one intimidating person if she puts her mind to it.” He shuddered
at the thought.
Classes resumed and aside from a surprise quiz in history class, nothing out of
the ordinary happened for the rest of the day. Douglas said his goodbyes to
Eddie and Kris before catching a bus to the hospital. On his way up to the
second floor to visit his mother, one of the nurses at the reception desk
recognized him and pulled him aside. She told Douglas that there had been a
recent change in his mothers condition and that she'd been moved to intensive
care. Douglas gut felt like it was filled with bricks and boulders at the news.
He was taken to a doctor's office where they went over in finer detail what had
happened to his mother. Long story short, things had gone from bad to worse and
her chances of ever waking up was slipping by for each minute she was asleep.
Douglas pleaded to the doctor to let him see her, and although reluctant, the
doctor agreed as long as it was for a short time only.
Douglas mother laid in her hospital bed, wired up to all sorts of medical
equipment. It seemed to him that it had ten folded since his last visit, with
tubes in her mouth, taped eyelids, some weird cap on her head, clamp thingies
on her fingers and several minor tubes stuck into her hands and arms. It was
like a scene snorted out from a bad science fiction horror flick, except that
the effects were far too real for comfort. The gravity of the situation crawled
in on Douglas as he came to the realization that this might very well be it;
this is how he'd loose his mother. His mother had always said that it was
unnatural for a parent to outlive her child, but this... this was just too damn
cruel. All the bleeping, pumping and spinning medical equipment made a dreadful
notion come to Douglas' attention; he might be asked if he wants to pull the
plug. Him; pull the plug on his own mother. What kind of sick joke was that?
Assuming it even was a joke, Douglas for one was not laughing. Hell he wasn't
even crying, at least not yet anyway.
Even if the doctor allowed Douglas to stay longer, he cut the visit short
himself. Sick in his stomach and lightheaded, Douglas wobbled himself outside,
hoping some fresh air would clear his head. The sounds of the city washed over
him, the traffic driving by, pedestrians going to and fro, stray dogs barking
and the thumping bass of some party just down the block. It helped a little to
clear his head, but the sick feeling Douglas had in his stomach lingered with
an annoying persistence. Rounding the corner, Douglas found himself a tree and
vomited at its base. It smelled awful and tasted even worse. The sour
aftertaste stuck to his tongue like a bad piece of paint, forcing him to make
disgusted faces in some hopeless attempt to make things better or at least
taste less.
After regaining his composure somewhat, Douglas headed over to Spiffo's to get
something to drink and wash away the godawful taste he still had in his mouth.
Waggling his tongue around like a dog in heat did little, if anything to
improve the situation. Inside Spiffo's there was a larger crowd than usual, not
that Douglas really cared too much. His priority right now was to get a soda of
some sort and chug it down like a boss, or at least try to. As a result, he
approached the counter with a tunnel vision focus, bought the strongest tasting
soda he saw and drank down. The first mouthful took away the worst of it, but a
thin watered down aftertaste from the vomit still lingered. Going for another
sip, Douglas spotted a rather tall and familiar figure dressed in white in the
corner of his eye. Turning around, soda can still on his lips, his eyes locked
in on Power Girl's bright blue eyes.
Both of them were in a rather ungraceful position; Douglas with drops of vomit
on his chin and a soda can at the tip of his mouth, while Power Girl's cheeks
were bulged with food, a piece of salad sticking out from her lips and a dash
of mustard on the tip of her nose. After a moment of awkward silence, the two
turn their attention back to their respective meals. Douglas did steal the
occasional glance towards Power Girl, watching her practically wolfing down the
sandwich. Not the image he usually associated with the Woman of Steel, but he
figured everyone's got to eat at some point. Finishing his soda, Douglas tossed
it in a trashcan on his way out. Now the crowd made sense; Power Girl did
attract attention wherever she went after all.
Back outside, he felt better. The sickening feeling he had in his stomach
earlier was gone, but it now felt very hollow or empty. No wonder, since he
just more or less flushed out the whole system a few minutes ago. On the other
hand, the terrible aftertaste of vomit was a thing of the past. Now he had an
aftertaste of orange soda and a growing urge to burp. Hearing the front door to
Spiffo's open and close, Douglas peered over his shoulder and saw Power Girl
leaving while wiping her face clean with a napkin.
“Excuse me, ma'am?” Douglas called out to her. Power Girl stopped and gave him
a curious look. Tapping his nose, he said: “You missed a spot.”
“I knew that...” Power Girl pouted more to herself than to Douglas, wiping off
the mustard. “You're looking a little pale Douglas, everything alright?” She
then asked, folding away the napkin.
A part of Douglas was happy that she asked, while at the same time another
wished that it was never brought up. Keeping this bottled up inside was
everything but healthy, yet he felt that he shouldn't pester Power Girl of all
people with his problems. She had bigger things on the horizon than little
Douglas, right? Stop an oil spill or ruin some African pirate's day, you
know... superhero stuff. Whether it was another one of Power Girl's super
powers or if it was good old women intuition, she clearly picked up on Douglas'
troubled mind and walked quietly over to him.
“I'm here Douglas, if you want to talk.” She said with a voice of velvet.
It was as if something snapped inside Douglas, a dam burst somewhere and he
started crying his heart out. A little hesitant at first, but Power Girl
decided to fold her arms around Douglas' trembling shoulders and pulled him
close to her. With one arm around his small shoulders and using her free hand
to run her glove clad fingers through his hair, Power Girl held him in a gentle
embrace while rocking him back and forth ever so slightly. Douglas' cries got
muffled into Power Girl's form-fitting suit, his forehead bruising up against
her bosom and with trembling hands he returned her embrace.
Douglas lost sense of time as he let his pent up feelings get flushed out in a
small river of tears and snot. When he finally did feel like he was finished,
Douglas let go of Power Girl and took a step back. Looking at Power Girl's
face, it was a sad and pained expression that greeted him. She felt with him,
Douglas thought. For now that was enough, it might not be much for Power Girl,
but to him it was worth a mountain of gold. Douglas' faintly happy expression
changed to one of eye wide surprise when he saw the stain he'd left on Power
Girl's suit with his torrent of tears and snot. Flustered, Douglas started
making odd and random gestures with his hands, to which Power Girl gave a
chuckle.
“Don't worry about it Douglas. It'll come off in the washer.” She assured him.
“How are you feeling?”
Thinking his words over for a moment, Douglas was about to answer when an
unexpected deep belly burp beat him to the finish line, starting out with a
deep bass before peaking upwards like a roller coaster, only to dive nose first
into the deep belly bass levels as a finishing touch. Power Girl looked at him
with a flabbergasted face, before she burst out with a merry, rich laugh.
Douglas on the other hand wanted to dig down to China in embarrassment, his
whole frame tensing up and his face turning red as a boiled lobster.
“Oh... not quite what I was expecting, but at least you're honest.” Power Girl
chuckled, wiping her tears.
“I didn't mean to...” Douglas mumbled to himself, feeling both hurt and
embarrassed at the same time.
“It's your mother, isn't it?” She asked Douglas seriously, who only nodded in
response. “I'm sorry Douglas, I really am.”
“Thank you ma'am.” Douglas swallowed while nodding his head. “I... uh... I'm
kinda at a loss here to be honest.”
“C'mon Douglas, let's get you home.” Power Girl offered her hand to Douglas.
“I guess you're right, ma'am. I'll take the bus though, thanks anyway.” Douglas
replied, declining her offer as carefully as he could.
“Okay Douglas, I'll walk with you for a while.” Power Girl said calmly,
retracting her hand with a sad, yet understanding smile.
The two walked down the street to the bus stop with a somewhat oppressing and
awkward silence between them. Once he'd settled down, Douglas started wondering
why he ran into Power Girl so often. Arriving at the bus stop, Douglas watched
some passengers board a bus that took a different route than the one he needed
to get home. Once the bus departed, the bus stop was deserted. After checking
the time table, he finally mustered the courage to ask Power Girl.
“Ma'am?” He started carefully, to which Power Girl gave him her full attention
almost immediately. “Why is it that we keep running into each other?”
Looking at him with a mixture of frown and puzzlement, Power Girl finally
replied with: “Your mother is in the hospital Douglas, and since I fly around
saving people I frequent by and near the hospital. I suppose we'll see less of
each other once your mother makes a full recovery.”
Feeling like an idiot, Douglas accepted Power Girl's explanation without giving
it further thought. The awkwardness returned between the two as they continued
to wait for the bus to arrive. Suddenly Power Girl turned her attention to
something distant up in the sky. She seemed to squint her eyes as if focusing
on something and the iris in her eyes gave away a faint glow. After she had
stood like this for a moment, she turned to Douglas with a serious look that
said it all; she had to go, super hero stuff. Not that Douglas was in any
position to stop her from going, whatever it was it looked either serious or
important, probably both. With a small head gesture, Douglas motioned that he'd
be okay and that she really should get going. Power Girl shot him a quick smile
before she zoomed off to the skies, followed by a sonic boom a moment later.
A few minutes later, Douglas' bus arrived and even though he'd gotten a lot of
his chest, Douglas mind was still clouded with worries regarding his mother.
Thinking that he'd spent all his tears, Douglas spent the whole bus ride home
fighting to keep the ball at the bottom of his throat to swell into full blown
weeping. The whole situation had gone way past FUBAR at the blink of an eye and
the dreaded thought that it could get worse chilled Douglas to the bone.
Without much of an apatite, Douglas took a shower in an effort to freshen up
before trying to get his mind of the troubles through some reading. Trouble was
that the words did not stick, Douglas read the same lines over and over again,
but couldn't remember, let alone make sense of the first paragraph.
Disheartened he turned away from his book and turned on the TV instead, if
nothing else the background noise would be a nice change from the deafening
silence that hung over his home. Re-runs of How its Made was decent enough and
kept Douglas entertained and distracted. Unfortunately it didn't last too long
as there was an episode covering medical equipment, jerking his mind back to
the harsh reality of his mother's condition.
Zapping the channels mindlessly in a renewed effort to not think too much about
it, Douglas finally settled in on the news channel. The leading story was on
how Power Girl was keeping her promise to battle the Mexican drug cartels, with
talking heads worried how this could blow up in the face of the US government.
Apparently they insisted that Power Girl was an all American girl and unless
she handled the situation properly, it could get real nasty, real fast. Counter
arguments pointed out that Power Girl didn't have a single nationality, instead
she was seen as a citizen of the world. From there the so-called debate sunk
down the the usual routine of not taking Power Girl seriously solely based on
her looks. Douglas had heard it all before a hundred times over and only
listened in with one half interested ear.
The talking heads were dead wrong, or at least Douglas felt that based on his
own experience with Power Girl. Not that he had this near religious belief that
Power Girl was perfect, far from it. She had her flaws and made mistakes,
though for every flaw she had and every mistake she made, Power Girl worked to
make up for it by doing more good. Also one should consider if it was okay for
humanity as a whole to blindly depend on Power Girl to fix nearly every issue
that decided to show its ugly face. At least Douglas was under the impression
that Power Girl carefully tried to find some sort of golden compromise between
helping out without making humans overly dependent on her.
Finally having something that could remotely feel like an apatite, Douglas
turned down the volume on the TV and headed to the kitchen to make some late
evening snack. While not really a master chef by any stretch of the
imagination, Douglas opted for a simple ham and cheese sandwich. While waiting
for the oven to get warm, the telephone rang. Curious of who it could be this
late, Douglas answered it without thinking too much about it. It was from the
hospital, the nurse informed him that his mother had just passed away. Even
though the news hit him like a cartoon boulder, Douglas was at least clear
headed enough to turn off the oven before he resumed his conversation with the
nurse. Like with the book he was reading earlier, the words that the nurse said
didn't stick or make any sense. They were just these mumbling noises that came
out of the telephone handle.
Outside, a good 100 feet above ground, Power Girl had stopped dead in her
tracks when her superhuman hearing by chance overheard the call Douglas got
from the hospital. Even if she knew it was wrong, Power Girl took a quick peek
through the ceiling with her x-ray vision to check on Douglas. Seeing him
standing like an undead with the phone handle in his hand made her heart feel
like it froze over and shattered. Covering her mouth, Power Girl cried quietly
for Douglas before she found the resolve to fly away into the night.
***** Karen Starr *****
Chapter Summary
     Karen Starr becomes Douglas' legal guardian after the death of his
     mother, he moves in at Starr mansion and changes school. Douglas
     tries to adjust to his new life and after some encouragement from
     Power Girl starts to warm up to Karen, whom he's initially cold to.
You've seen the classical Hollywood take on funerals so often that you almost
expect real life to be just like that. No leafs on the trees, heavy rain, large
black umbrellas, fancy looking black cars and maybe a limousine or two. Turns
out reality is quite different, in fact reality doesn't seem to give two shits
about what Hollywood say or do; for when Douglas buried his mother there was
not a cloud in sight, the spring sun hung high and warm in the sky, birds
singing and flowers blooming. Even the grass was lush and green in color.
Douglas was not by any means from a wealthy family. Sure they got by, but when
all was paid for, he and his mother weren't really swimming in left over cash.
Savings, while present were nothing to really brag about, so the funeral was
nothing fancy.
The dead do not concern themselves with the affairs of the living, his mother
used to say. Still Douglas was confident that she'd come and haunt him if he
blew off an unreasonable amount of money to put her to rest. Being an only
child of a single parent with no living relatives, Douglas didn't really have
any to invite for the funeral. Eddie and Kris showed up, along with their
parents and Pamela, Eddie's little sister. Other than that there were a few
people from his mother's workplace that showed up. They all expressed their
condolences and sympathies to Douglas, who'd no doubt have a hard time ahead
considering he was still a minor. The last week had been melted down to a
slushy blur Douglas' mind, there was simply so much to do. Dying was the easy
part, it was everything that followed that felt like a suffocating not to
mention overwhelming avalanche. Eddie and Kris decided to stick around a little
while once the priest was done and the others resumed their lives.
“So like, what now man?” Eddie asked, loosening up the tie on his suit.
Sighing deeply, Douglas just squinted in the sunlight. “Dunno to be honest. I
dunno.” He said with a helpless honesty coloring his voice.
“Sorry... and, you know.” Kris started, looking for the right words. “Let me
know if you need anything, okay?”
“Yeah, I will. Thanks guys.” Douglas replied with a forced smile, patting Eddie
on the shoulder.
With that, Eddie and Kris headed back to the parking lot just next to the
church to join their parents, leaving Douglas alone at the cemetery. The tomb
stone would not arrive until another 2 weeks, so for now all that marked his
mother's grave was a simple wooden cross with her name on it, standing barely a
foot tall. Douglas still haven't fully wrapped his head around the absurdity of
his situation. Like, what was he suppose to do now? Carry on with school? Money
don't grow on trees and he didn't think he had it in him to juggle a job and
school at the same time. At least not the kind of job that would be available
to him right off the bat at any rate. One option was to either sell the house
or rent it out, while finding a smaller place to live. Either way he would have
to go through his mother's things to sort out what he'd keep and what to either
throw away or give to a thrift shop, a task Douglas was not looking forward to
in the slightest.
Walking back to the parking lot, Douglas was mulling things over in his head,
weighing one option up against the other, when in the corner of his eye he
noticed a rather fancy and expensive looking BMW parked by the small shed that
stood between the church and the road. The car had an unusual futuristic
design, a very wide step away from the usual BMW look. In fact if it wasn't for
the BMW logo at the back, Douglas would never had guessed it was a BMW. At any
rate the whole car was screaming money, top dollar money. The door on the
drivers side opened up in an unusual way, it looked like a hybrid of scissor
opening doors seen on super sport cars and gull wing opening doors as made
famous by the delorean from the back to the future films.
A woman stepped out of the car and looked over at Douglas before closing the
door. While walking over to Douglas, the woman locked her car remotely with a
casual click on the car key in her right hand before tucking it away in her
jacket. She wore a black leather biker jacket with a black turtleneck sweater
underneath, matched with a red skirt that had a large lumberjack shirt pattern
on it and blue boots. Her blonde hair was kept in a bob hairstyle while her
eyes remained hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. There was something in the
way that she walked or carried herself, as if she was confident in herself that
Douglas found a little familiar, but could not quite place. Also as she came
closer, he noticed that she was tall. Saying that she was close to 6 feet was
no understatement.
“Hello, are you Douglas Sutherland by any chance?” She asked with a pleasant
tone.
“Uh, yeah that would be me.” Douglas replied, despite wondering what this was
about he had a pretty good guess.
“My name is Karen Starr, pleased to meet you Douglas.” Karen introduced
herself, offering a handshake.
“Yeah, likewise.” Douglas said with a polite nod and shook her hand. First
thing that struck him was that this lady had hands of steel, for this was one
of the firmest handshakes he'd ever felt.
“I'm not too sure of just how much they've told you, those old crooks at the
courthouse.” Karen said, searching through the pockets of her jacket and skirt.
“But it has been decided that I'll be your legal guardian from here on out.”
“Oh-Kay... so what does that mean?” Douglas asked, not too surprised by the
turn of events as he was still a minor.
“Courts generally have the power to appoint a guardian for an individual in
need of special protection. A guardian with responsibility for both the
personal well-being and the financial interests of the ward is a general
guardian.” Karen explained, finally fishing out what she was looking for; a
crumbled white envelope which she handed to Douglas.
“Okay, so you're kind of like my... step mom?” Douglas asked, tucking the
envelope away.
“I suppose you could say that.” Karen frowned as if she was in doubt. “Judge
Cameron have appointed me as your general guardian, so you can leave all the
adult stuff to me and focus on school and what have you. Okay?”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Douglas sighed with a sense of defeat. “It doesn't seem like
I have much choice in the matter.”
“Great! So let's head over to your place, get some of the essentials and get
you settled in at my place.” Karen said, beaming a smile.
“Wait, I'm moving in with you?” Douglas made a small jolt at the news.
“Uh yeah.” Karen said hesitantly as if she was afraid to make the conversation
take a turn for the worse. “I'm not going to force you, but I think it would be
good for you to have a change of scenery.”
“But what about my mom's house? All her stuff?” Douglas asked, feeling left out
and ignored by both Karen and the system.
“A person may also be appointed as a special guardian, having limited powers
over the interests of the ward. A special guardian may, for example, be given
the legal right to determine the disposition of the ward's property without
being given any authority over the ward's person.” Karen said as if she was
siting some textbook answer.
Seeing that her lawyer speak didn't color Douglas impressed or assured, Karen
shifted her approach and said: “Look Douglas, we'll work this out. And I think
this is a step in the right direction.”
“And if it doesn't work out?” Douglas asked with a voice that dripped of
resentment.
“We'll...” Karen started, looking for the right words “..cross that bridge when
we get there.”
Still not convinced that this would work out, Douglas nevertheless got into
Karen's car and the two of them drove off. Since Karen's car was a sports car,
its trunk was not what one could call spacious. As a result, Douglas would have
to be very disciplined when he did his packing, considering that they could
probably only fit one suitcase inside the trunk. Another thing that Douglas
noticed was that Karen had a terrible sense of direction, making odd turns and
even having trouble following Douglas' directions on how to get to his home.
Granted Douglas' house was a little out of the way, but this was ridiculous.
After more detours than was strictly speaking necessary, they finally arrived
at Douglas' house.
“Right, here we are. Very nice.” Karen said, looking about the scenery.
“How come you don't have GPS on that fancy car of yours?” Douglas grumbled,
struggling a little to get out of the car.
“It does have GPS!” Karen objected defensively. “At least I think it does...”
“Okay, whatever. Can we just... get this done?” Douglas sighed, closing the
door shut.
The packing started and even if Karen offered to help out, Douglas declined and
did it all by himself. Instead Karen took a look around the house, being
mindful not to touch anything and not to say a thing. She did pop her head into
Douglas' room every now and then to check on him, but let him go about his
business without a word. Once the packing was done, Douglas put down a filled
duffel bag with a audible thud in the center of the living room. Karen had
taken a seat in the three seated blue sofa, browsing a magazine she'd found on
the kitchen table before she looked up. It was first now that Douglas noticed
that Karen had complete heterochromia iridum; her left eye was brown and her
right eye was blue.
“What? Is there something on my face?” Karen asked, looking puzzled.
“Ah, no. It's just your eyes.” Douglas replied as if excusing his stare before
he started patting down his pockets, looking for the keys to the house.
“Oh that.” Karen said, closing the magazine before getting up from the sofa. “I
have Waardenburg Syndrome Type II. Nothing dangerous, it just colored my eyes
differently.”
“Really? Well, I'm done here I think.” Douglas sniffed, rattling the keys in
his hand. “I might have to make another trip or two later, but for now I'm
good.”
“Fantastic.” Karen said, coming back from the kitchen after putting the
magazine back where she found it. “Lets head back and have some dinner.”
Karen picked up the duffel bag as if was empty and headed back to the car. It
took Douglas by surprise, but he figured that Karen had an active gym
membership or a job or hobby that made her stronger than she seemed. Because of
her clothes, Karen didn't give away any of the usual hints that she was strong
or fit. At any rate, Douglas locked the house and gave it a long look over
before joining Karen in the car. During the ride to Karen's house, she tired a
few times to start a conversation, though Douglas shrugged off her efforts as
attempts to build an illusion of friendship. There wasn't any easy or smooth
way for Douglas to simply open up and accept Karen as a replacement for his
mother. Why couldn't Karen see that?
The drive took them out of West Point, a good way down the highway and back up
to Dreadwood. Going past both the school and hospital, Douglas half expected
them to drive around for another good half an hour, if not longer, trying to
find Karen's house. Much to his surprise Karen took a left turn shortly
afterwards from the main road, driving down a long driveway that ended with a
double door garage, a large garden on the left hand side surrounded by a yellow
brick wall and an impressive looking concrete walled mansion painted in the
same yellow as the brick wall. Groaning mentally, Douglas figured it would be
just a matter of time before the owner of the place would ask them to get off
his or her property, with a flustered Karen apologizing and asking for
directions.
Things did not however, unfold as Douglas expected. Karen stopped the car and
stepped outside as if she'd been here a hundred times over. Still dubious
whether Karen had found the right place or not, Douglas stepped out of the car
as well. Hopefully they wouldn't get into any trouble for this, the last thing
Douglas needed now was to spend the night in jail because Karen can't figure
out how to turn on the GPS in her car. Looking over at Karen, she carried about
as if she owned the place; grabbing Douglas' duffel bag from the trunk, locking
up the car and fishing out the keys to the house before heading towards the
entrance.
“Do you know the people that live here or something?” Douglas asked, following
Karen.
“Mm? Don't be silly Douglas, this is where I live.” Karen replied with a smile.
Stopping dead in his tracks, Douglas felt like his brain did a much needed
reboot. The fancy car should have been the first flag, but for whatever reason
he didn't think much about it. A second flag would be the name Karen Starr; it
was no secret that she was a rich woman who'd made a respectable fortune
through software development for smartphones and tablets. While she was a bit
of a recluse and didn't dance around in the tabloid spot light, the name and
address, in addition to the car should have been more than enough for Douglas
to understand just who his legal guardian was. He found some comfort in that
he'd had a lot on his mind these last few days and that this was the chief
reason why he didn't connect these painfully obvious dots.
Karen unlocked a glass door at the front of the house and with Douglas close
behind they walked down a long corridor with white stone tiles on the floor and
pale blue wallpaper. With the sound of the shoes clacking against the tiles,
Karen started giving Douglas a quick tour of the house. First door on the right
after the entrance was the master bedroom, Karen's bedroom. Although it was
common sense, Karen stressed that he should stay away from it unless he had to
and even then be sure to knock. On the left hand side of the corridor was a
couple of windows that gave a nice view into the garden. The second door on the
right led to a stairway to the second floor, which Karen would cover once they
had settled Douglas in his room. On the left hand side the first door came up,
which lead to the kitchen. Third door on the right was the first guest room,
though this would not be Douglas' room as it was connected to the first floor
bathroom, which Karen used. There were plans to add another door to the first
floor bathroom so that she wouldn't have to go through the guest room every
time, but Karen hadn't got around to it just yet.
Rounding the corner of the corridor to the left, Karen pointed out that the
first door on the left led to the kitchen. Walking by a couple of windows just
opposite of the kitchen door, Douglas took a moment to look a the interior. It
was simplistic, yet still homey. Various potted plants stood on the right hand
side of the corridor, light brown curtains hung at the windows and a handful
paintings of nature decorated the walls. There were even a couple of
comfortable chairs with coffee tables on either side further down the corridor.
At last they came to the end of the line, a single white door waited from them.
“And here we are,” Karen said as if she was to present the crown jewel of her
house. “your room.”
Opening the door, Douglas took a few steps inside and looked around. The
wallpaper had a strong orange color to it, a gray-blue colored carpet covered
the floor completely and all the furniture was in deep dark brown wood. Just
right of the door was an empty bookshelf, though if Douglas had a say in things
that would be filled in no time flat. The room had two single beds, a tall
double door wardrobe between them and a three drawer dresser in the upper right
corner of the room. A couple of paintings hung on the wall and there was a TV
opposite of the beds. Just right of the bookshelf was another white door.
“That door takes you to your bathroom and there's a reading room beyond that.”
Karen said, nudging Douglas to explore further.
The bathroom was simple, yet covered the basics. A large mirror over a corner
dresser, window on the left hand wall giving view to the backyard and a white
door opposite of the first one, leading to the reading room. As for the reading
room it was a living up to its name. The upper left corner of the room was made
of two large windows, the left wall was hidden behind a fully stacked bookshelf
and opposite of the door was a bright brown stress less chair that looked about
as comfortable as it looked expensive. Over the chair, on the egg white painted
walls hung a large painting of a spring garden in full bloom and the rooms
bright gray carpet put a comfortable damper on the sunlight that came in
through the corner windows.
“Care to comment on your new home?” Karen asked, walking back to the bedroom to
put down Douglas' duffel bag.
“It feels like I've walked into an episode of MTV cribs.” Douglas mumbled in
disbelief, looking over the collection of books Karen had.
“Is that so? Well we're not done just yet, there's still the second floor you
know.” Karen said with a wink and a grin. “It's where I spend most of my time
to be honest.”
Karen insisted that they'd wait with the boring unpacking until the tour was
complete, so they backtracked to the door that lead to the second floor
stairway. Climbing the stairs, Douglas could not help but notice that had a
very nice rear end, even if her skirt somewhat hid her curves. At the top of
the orange colored hallway that housed the stairs, there were two white doors.
The one on the right was to Karen's office, which also sported a bathroom and
the washing room with a washing machine and a dryer. The door on the left
however led to the living room and beyond that was the leisure room. The living
room sported multiple sofas, coffee tables and bookshelves. Oddly enough it
didn't come with a TV. As for the leisure room, it had features like a pool
table, piano, jukebox and even a minibar.
“So, what do you think?” Karen asked, helping herself with a soda from the
minibar and offering one to Douglas.
“I think commuting to and from school is going to be a bitch.” Douglas said
with a dead pan voice, ignoring the soda he was offered.
It seemed that his response was not one that Karen had expected as she looked
like the winds had left her sails. She had, up to this point, been very
positive, cheerful and even a little proud of her home. Hesitantly and a little
hurt, Karen looked for something to say back, but in the few seconds that
ticked away, Douglas took his leave and went back downstairs leaving her alone.
It was not like him, Douglas thought. He didn't have to say that, even if it
was true he could have said it differently. His behavior was not normal, but
something about this place just rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was the
sudden spike in material wealth or Karen's overly cheerful attitude. Whatever
it was, it felt like an annoying rock in his shoe that made his mood go awfully
sour. As wrong as it was to take it out on Karen, she was currently the only
one in reach.
For the next half an hour Douglas spent his time unpacking his luggage while
trying to make some sort of plan as to where to place the rest of his stuff.
There was no shortage of space, that much was for certain. Even if his room,
combined with the bathroom should not be enough, Douglas figured that he could
borrow space in the guest room. Deciding he'd done his good deed for the day,
Douglas laid down on his bed and indulged himself to a book he'd brought with
him. By the time he heard a polite knock on his door, several hours had passed.
“Dinner's ready Douglas.” Karen said with a small voice from behind the door.
Dinner, while a simple dish of kung pao chicken with a fresh ribbon salad, was
tasty if not a little too much on the spicy side. The atmosphere in the kitchen
however was not simple by any stretch of the imagination. Karen still hadn't
gotten the wind back in her sails so to speak and although Douglas could see
why, there was this childish notion inside him that refused to do the mature
thing. So instead they sat at opposite sides of the table, quietly eating their
meals with only the occasional clatter of their dishes and eating sticks
breaking the silence.
“I'm not sure the bus schedule around here, but if we can't find one that will
get you to school in time, I'm happy to give you a lift.” Karen said after
several long minutes of uncomfortable silence.
Douglas gave a barely visible nod as he kept on chewing on his food with a
blank and indifferent expression on his face. At this point he simply didn't
have it in him to engage with Karen, let alone humor her. For now, Douglas just
wanted to get through the day then take it from there, with no real plan in
mind. Not that Douglas was a guy that always had a plan in the first place and
even if he was, he found it unlikely that he'd have a plan for this kind of
scenario. Finishing his meal, Douglas packed up the dishes and started washing
them in the sink.
“I'll take care of it Douglas.” Karen said, still sitting at the table. “You've
gone through enough for one day.”
Not giving her a word of acknowledgment or even a passing glance, Douglas left
the kitchen as if he was a mist. The hallway leading back to his room seemed to
go on forever and his feet felt heavier with each passing step. By the time he
reached around the door knob, it felt like he had his ankles cast around balls
and chains of solid lead. This feeling of suffocation, Douglas didn't know how
he would be able to stomach it. Maybe it would work itself out over the long
term, though the immediate short term looked pretty grim. For now he decided to
go to bed and postpone all of his troubles and worries for another day.
Douglas woke early next morning from someone gently shaking his shoulder. Turns
out that his room didn't come with an alarm clock. Not that it would have
helped him, since he forgotten to set the timer on it anyway. Karen it seemed
was an early bird and didn't seem to fond of the idea of Douglas sleeping in.
After going for a quick shower and getting dressed, Douglas joined Karen at the
kitchen for breakfast. She'd prepared a breakfast that offered both milk and
juice for drink, along with egg, bacon, bread and fruit. By the time Douglas
started on his portion, Karen finished hers and sat quietly sipping her morning
coffee.
“I checked with the bus company last night.” Karen started, breaking the
silence that filled the kitchen. “There are no routes that will get you to
school in time, unless you want to get up very early and hang around at school
an hour before it opens.” She finished with a fast, if not loud slurp of
coffee.
“Well that's just great.” Douglas sighed, filling his glass with some more
juice.
“That's public transportation for you.” Karen shrugged from behind her coffee
cup. “For now I'll give you a lift to and from school.”
Douglas' face turned into a skeptical frown. “For now? Just what does that
mean?” He asked.
“Even with a car it's a long commute to and from your current school.” Karen
said, putting her coffee cup on the table. “Also I might not always be around
to to give you a lift either.” She added, letting the steam from the coffee
dance between her fingers.
“Some guardian you are.” Douglas mumbled with a pout.
Smacking her flat palm on the table made Douglas jump out of his good skin.
“Yes, a guardian. Not a low hoovering helicopter parent that will wipe your ass
after every visit to the toilet.” Karen's voice had a sharp edge to it that
Douglas didn't feel like tempting any further.
“So what are you suggesting as a more permanent solution?” Douglas asked,
trying his best to steer away from Karen's don't-give-me-that-kind-of-crap
mood.
“Transfer.” Karen said calmly, letting the tip of her finger trace around the
edge of her coffee cup. “There's a school a couple of blocks from here that
should be able to take you in.”
After finishing breakfast the two of them headed for the car, where the drive
to school was a silent one, and as soon as they arrived at Douglas' school
another reason to transfer became apparent. Karen's car was not what one would
call low profile, so everyone and their kitten turned heads and were super
curious on who would arrive with that kind of ride. That kind of attention
didn't sit well with Douglas, it was quite the opposite of what he wanted right
now. Karen gave him a sympathetic shrug before he left the car. While the crowd
did give him some glances, the attention quickly died out as soon as Karen and
her eye catching car was out of sight. Thank God for teenagers short attention
span, Douglas thought to himself while he walked through the main entrance.
“So what's new?” Kris asked during lunch.
“Please don't tell me there's talk around school about this morning.” Douglas
groaned, bumping his forehead onto the lunch table.
“That was you? Details were a bit sketchy, though I'm not surprised that you're
involved since you didn't take the regular route to school this morning.” Kris
shrugged before helping herself with her lunch.
“Oh right.” Douglas sighed. “About that, I've been taken in by Karen Starr.”
Kris nearly chocked on her juice at the drop of that name. Granted Karen Starr
was the riches person in the state, but since she rarely made a fuzz or
otherwise drew attention to herself, Douglas was a little surprised by Kris'
reaction.
“Oh my gosh, that's wonderful news.” Kris mumbled from behind a napkin.
“Congratulations Douglas!”
“Just how is this wonderful news?” Douglas grumbled with a mouthful of lunch
bulging inside his left cheek.
“Uh, hello. You do know who Karen Starr is, right?” Kris asked as if she was
asking a painfully obvious question.
“Yeah, she's just about as rich as she's eccentric.” Douglas pouted.
“Don't be like that!” Kris objected, flicking a small ball of napkin at
Douglas. “You finally catch a lucky break and you sound like a spoil kid.”
“I don't know Kris...” Douglas said as if he'd given up. “She just wants to be
all super happy family thingy right off the bat. It feels wrong.”
“Look Douglas, I know you've been through a lot lately.” Kris started, pushing
her lunch plate aside. “Just give her a chance, okay?”
“Why are you so keen on me getting all buddy, buddy with Ms Starr anyway?”
Douglas grumbled as if it was none of Kris' business.
“Well for starters, because I'm your friend and I hate to see you like this.”
Kris started, before continuing. “Secondly, I have it on very good authority
that Karen Starr is a nice person.”
Douglas mood did somewhat improve during the course of the school day, but
whatever improvements had taken hold quickly made their departure when Karen
showed up in the same outlandish car to pick him up from school at the end of
the day. It was the same shit all over again; the buzz among the crowd, the
turning heads and the smartphones that popped out, sneaking a picture or even a
quick video of the car. While he didn't exactly run, Douglas did walk up to the
car with quick, short and stern steps before getting seated as fast as he
could. This was going to be a major pain, Douglas thought while wondering just
what Kris saw in Karen.
For the next week this would be Douglas new routine, though Karen assured him
it would be over as soon as the paperwork for his school transfer came through.
Until then, he'd just have to bear with it. During this transfer period,
Douglas consistently ignored Karen; never engaging in her conversations during
breakfast, lunch or dinner more than he had to and spending nearly all of his
free time in his room reading books, rejecting Karen's suggestions for them to
do something together. While it was clear that this bothered Karen, she did put
on a brave face and allowed Douglas his space in the hope that he'd eventually
come around.
On his last day at his old school, Eddie and Kris decided to see him off with a
little party. For reasons that escaped Douglas completely, Karen and Kris
seemed to hit it right off the bat. Eddie dismissed it as a chick thing that
guys like him and Douglas had no hope of ever comprehending. The trio spent
their time at Spiffo's and had a blast, the biggest victory was that they
managed to get Douglas to laugh for the first time since the passing of his
mother. One thing led to another and before they knew it Eddie was diving head
first into the mysteries of Power Girl's missing camel toe as well as some
impressive math regarding the dimensions of Power Girl's chest window. All in
all, it was a pretty good day. Both Eddie and Kris promised to keep in touch
and even come visiting every once in a while, so it wasn't the end of the
world. Not by a long shot.
Douglas first day at his new school was a different matter. Since this school
was just down the road from Karen's mansion, the locals knew her much better
than the people from Douglas' old neighborhood. Being a local celebrity meant
that as soon as one spotted you, there would be a small to medium sized mob
surrounding you in no time flat. Karen took it all with a stride, but Douglas
was not a fan of Karen, nor of the attention everyone gave her. After
navigating at the school main entrance, the crowd dispersed although Karen did
get greeted and occasionally stopped by students who wanted to chat.
The school itself was as far as Douglas could tell larger than his old one.
Both the cafeteria and the indoor gym were much larger and to top it all off
the new school sported its own football field. As for the layout of the school,
Karen gave him a quick run down. Right after the main entrance there was a
stairway that lead up to the second floor. The main hallway carried on straight
forward, yet it also branched off to the left shortly after coming in through
the main entrance. Down this left hand hallway Douglas would find the infirmary
as well as the music classroom. The first floor was dominated by the large
cafeteria at the center, with the cafeteria kitchen in the back. Walking down
the main hallway, they eventually came to a crossroads. Straight to the left
was the cafeteria, down the right were various classrooms along with the
janitors office/workshop as well as the indoor gym and showers. Further up the
hallway and to the left was the teachers lounge.
While they didn't go upstairs, Karen explained to Douglas what he could find at
the second floor. About ten regular classrooms, bathrooms, school staff meeting
room, kitchen classroom, science lab and last but not least, the school
library. She also informed Douglas that the showers down by the gym also had
bathrooms, so he wouldn't have to run up and down every time he needed to go.
When they finally did arrive at the teachers lounge, even the principal greeted
Karen as if they were close friends. The way Karen introduced Douglas to his
new teacher and the principal made him cringe, though he did managed to give a
decent handshake and a stiff, if not awkward smile. He was a high school
student, a decent one at that. Not some real life edition of Forest Gump, like
Karen made him feel like. It was clear that the local community, and especially
the school held Karen in very high regard.
After some final signatures and a few more handshakes, Karen took her leave,
but not before making Douglas promise to wait for her to pick him up after
school. Apparently she wanted to do something special for dinner, so Karen
would pick him up and that was final. At this point Douglas just wanted to get
it all over with and hastily agreed just to make Karen stop babbling. The
cringe levels were off the charts for that little agreement alone.
Classes were pretty much the same at this school as with his old one, though
word has gotten around that Douglas was Karen's kid and that made in a mini
celebrity in his own right. If nothing else, it did allow him to dig up some
more information on Karen. For all her riches and seclusive behavior, Karen was
very generous towards the local community. She'd donated plenty of money to the
school, saving it from more than one financial pinch over the years. The local
prison was suffering due to a massive, public scandal about undignified
treatment of prisoners and the one that set it all straight? Karen Starr. As it
was a private prison, she practically bought the place and pushed through some
much needed changes. Although she later sold herself out, Karen still owns
enough of the prison to have the final say in all major decisions.
Then there was the local water treatment plant, which suffered under the
financial crisis of 2007–08. The government funding that was put on the table
to better the situation was not put on a tight leach, so it didn't go where it
was needed the most. Thanks to the stock Karen owned in Apple Inc. and the
release of the iPhone, she had plenty of money to spare. Rather than hopping on
a jet and buy herself a private island, Karen put money on the table to keep
the water treatment plant running. These were the biggest, and most recent
examples of what Karen had done. There were plenty of other stories of little
things she'd done like investing in smaller, local businesses or paying off a
good chunk of someone's debt or even leaving a $300 tip for a $19.58 meal.
What got the other kids so excited was that for the first time ever Karen had
taken someone in under her wing. Many had considered it to be her main flaw;
that Karen never had a husband or family. As far as most people knew, aside
from the occasional short lived romance, she didn't really have any close
friends. Acquaintances yes, but she was a recluse that rarely, if ever reached
out to someone for her own sake. It was always to help someone else, in some
fashion or another. Douglas figured that they were all very happy on Karen's
behalf and thus, they were also very curious of just who Karen had decided to
take in. Still all these happy stories had a common theme; money solves
everything.
Douglas didn't really bond with anyone at school, though he managed to keep it
civil despite getting bombarded with questions that he really couldn't answer.
Perhaps he just kept his guard up unintentionally high, finding it difficult to
separate the ones that really cared for and admired Karen and the fake ones,
that saw her as a shortcut to an easy life. It kind of bothered Douglas that he
didn't get a chance to check out the school library as he couldn't find a quiet
moment to himself. At the end of the day, Douglas found Karen standing by her
eye catching BMW on the parking lot just next to the football field.
“So, how was your first day?” Karen asked, sounding cheerful while turning down
the volume on the stereo.
“Okay, I guess.” Douglas replied with an indifferent tone.
“Good. That's good.” She said more to herself while nodding.
“Listen, could we make a stop by my place?” He asked, shifting in his seat.
“Sure, we can do that.” Karen seemed a little surprised at the request. “Why's
that? Is there something you want to pick up?”
“No, it's just that this is clearly not working out.” Douglas said firmly. “So
I'm moving back.”
“Now Douglas...” Karen started, but a quick glance at his face made her stop
and swallow her words.
This time around Karen didn't seem to have any problems finding her way to
Douglas' house. It was quite clear that Karen didn't like his suggestion as her
mood was in terrible shape. She wasn't angry or sad as far as he could tell.
Instead she seemed to be worried, as if a significant part of her world was
crashing down around her and her mind was racing to find a solution on how to
stop it. The car came to a gentle stop just outside Douglas' home and as he
reached for the door, Karen put her hand on his elbow, holding him back.
“Douglas, please.” She started. “We can work this out.” Even her eyes were
pleading him to stay.
“No, we can't.” Douglas' reply was as short as it was blunt.
“You don't know that.” She countered. “You'll never know unless you give it a
try.”
“I did try.” He shot back, feeling like his words were tools to peel Karen's
fingers off his elbow.
“First day at school is hardly trying, Douglas.” Karen reminded him. “Look,
I'll swing by Gas-2-Go and rent a bigger car to help with the move. Then we can
get a bunch of your stuff moved over and take it from there, okay?”
That pushed all sorts of buttons inside Douglas head and he stomped out of the
car in a huff, slamming the door hard. Walking up to his old home, Douglas shot
a quick glance over his shoulder and saw Karen driving off. Whatever, he
shrugged. He'd just have to ignore her when she came back, there was no way
he'd open the door for her. Once inside the house, Douglas slammed the door
shut, making a large bang that scared the silence away. He was raging for some
reason, he couldn't stop himself from burning and bubbling with energy. To vent
his frustrations, Douglas headed to his mother's bedroom and started packing.
It had to be done sooner or later and as tripping as Douglas was now, he might
as well put it to good use.
After a good hour of folding clothes into a suitcase, backpack and duffel bag,
Douglas took a pause to check the time. What was keeping Karen he wondered?
Surely she would be back by now. Then he remembered that she totally lacked
sense of directions and was probably in another state by now. To make more
space for packing, Douglas grabbed the backpack and suitcase to move them into
the living room. Stubbing his toe on the door frame not only hurt like hell, it
also made him loose balance and sent him flat out on the floor.
“OW! Son of a BITCH!” Douglas dropped the suitcase and backpack before
instantly grabbing his stubbed foot with both hands, twisting in pain.
The toe throbbed like an overworked sub woofer and burned with a stinging pain.
Tears popped out from the corners of Douglas eyes and he felt more alone and
miserable than ever before. Nothing, not a single goddamn thing was going his
way and he hated it so bad he could taste it. He hated himself, he hated
packing, he hated Karen and he sure as hell hated that damn door frame. What
did make him jolt out of his loathing and distracting him from his throbbing
pain was a rather loud knock on the back door. People often went for walks in
the nearby woods or along the riverbank, so it was not unheard of that these
people would knock on the back door to ask for directions or if they could
borrow the bathroom or something along those lines. Limping over the kitchen
floor, leaning a little on the kitchen table for balance, Douglas opened the
door expecting to find yet another hiker with a dead cellphone battery or
whatever. Instead, Douglas found himself face to face with Power Girl.
“Ma'am...? Wha..?” Douglas found himself stumbling over words. “What are you
doing out here?”
“Oh... eh, I thought the coast guard could use a helping hand, turned out they
were just having a drill.” Power Girl explained, though she seemed a little...
off today. “So... on my way back to the mainland I figured I'd drop by to see
how you were doing.”
“Well I'm doing fine ma'am, thanks for asking.” Douglas said with more sarcasm
than he intended. “Shouldn't you be off dealing with drug cartels or something
more important?”
“Douglas.” Power Girl started. “I don't need neither telescopic nor microscopic
vision to see that you're not doing fine. The drug cartels can wait.”
“Is that something a superhero should be saying?” Douglas sounded skeptical as
he pulled up a chair and took a seat.
“Super or not, there's more to being a hero than putting bad guys behind bars
Douglas.” Power Girl replied, taking a step in and closing the door behind her
before leaning her back on it. “Even I can't be everywhere at once, but I'm
right here, with you, right now.”
“Well, I stubbed my toe.” Douglas sighed.
“I suspect there's more to it than that.” Power Girl smiled knowingly.
“Okay! Fine, my life is a mess.” Douglas said, voicing his frustrations. “My
mom just passed away and, and this woman shows up out of the blue and thinks
it's all sunshine and rainbows.”
“I'm sorry about your mother Douglas.” Power Girl said and for whatever reason
Douglas could tell that she was telling the truth. “So who is this woman?
Your... foster parent?”
“Legal guardian.” Douglas sighed. “Her name is Karen Starr; rich, successful,
cheerful and she doesn't have a freaking clue!” It felt good to give a voice to
the troubles that had been swirling inside his head. The problems might not go
away, but simply talking about them could make them easier to carry.
“Is that why you're packing?” Power Girl asked, stretching her head upwards to
peek into the living room.
“Karen wants me to live in her fancy mansion and even had me transferred to a
different school.” Douglas explained with a poorly hidden disgusted voice. “I
can't stomach either place.”
“Karen Starr. Mm, the name rings a bell. Can't quite place it though.” Power
Girl mused, scratching the left side of her nose with the back of her right
index finger. “What's so bad about her?”
“In a word? Money.” Douglas sighed.
“Why's that?” Power Girl asked, she sounded a little surprised by Douglas'
answer. “Is her money... dirty somehow?”
“I don't know...” Douglas groaned. “That isn't the problem.”
Looking around the kitchen Douglas saw a shift in Power Girl's expression as if
she'd just realized something that had been in front of her face all this time,
but for some reason she'd been blind to it. She walked around the Kitchen, a
pair of gloved clad fingers tracing the surface of the worn kitchen counter,
tip toeing over the cheap and well used oven, gliding smoothly over the kitchen
sink before coming to a stop at the side of the tall dented fridge. Turning
half around, Power Girl glanced over her left shoulder at Douglas.
“Could it be that you don't like Karen because how she spends her money?” She
asked.
“I suppose...” Douglas said with a muffled voice as if he was ashamed to admit
it.
“Well she's not on my bad guy list, so however she spends her money, it can't
be that bad. Right?” Power Girl turned around and took a seat next to Douglas
at the kitchen table.
“That's just it; whenever there is a problem, she throws money at it and it
goes away.” Douglas started ranting. “School donations, buying and reforming
private prison and, and even spending money on things the government should be
spending on.”
“I don't quite follow your reasoning.” Power Girl admitted, taking a seat next
to him before resting her elbows on the table, folding her hands in front of
her. “Why do you consider these things bad, Douglas?”
“Don't you see?!” Douglas snapped at Power Girl. “S-s-s-she thinks she can just
drop a million dollars in my lap and it'll be alright?”
Douglas was trembling with anger and tears started streaking down his cheeks.
He found himself breathing deeply, the occasional swift yet deep gasp for air
slipping past his crumbling composure. Power Girl looked like she was sitting
on needles, listening very intently and hanging on to every word that came out
of Douglas' mouth.
“All the money in the world won't bring my mom back.” Douglas sobbed. “She
can't fix this with money. Why can't she see that?!”
Douglas buried his face in his arms, folding them around in an effort to block
out the world that had been seduced by Karen Starr's deep pockets and exclusive
credit cards. His cries and sobs ensured that a gloomy mood hung over the
little kitchen for a long time. Power Girl just sat there quietly, patiently
waiting for Douglas to finish his tears. When he finally did peek up from
underneath his arms, he saw Power Girl still sitting straight as an arrow in
her chair, hands folded neatly in her lap. Their eyes met as she gave him a
glance before she looked off to the distance. Something must have caught her
attention Douglas thought. What would it be this time? A fire maybe or an armed
robbery?
“I should get going Douglas.” She finally said, rising from the chair. “I'm
sorry I can't be of any more help.”
Douglas could only nod in response, it felt like his voice had left him halfway
through his crying. Power Girl looked like she wanted to comfort Douglas some
more, but something was holding her back. In the end she quietly went for the
back door.
“Talk to her Douglas.” She said over her shoulder. “She won't know what is
troubling you unless you tell her.”
With a quiet thud the door closed and Douglas was left alone. Cleaning himself
up from the crying, Douglas stood by the kitchen sink washing his glasses when
he heard a car approaching. Just as he suspected, Karen came crashing through
the front door and started apologizing immediately for being so late. True
enough, she managed to get lost and when she asked some local kids for
directions, they gave her wrong directions as a prank. In an effort to make up
for lost time, Karen started to move the things Douglas had packed into the van
right off the bat. The speed and ease Karen demonstrated during the move
surprised Douglas, making him suspect that Karen was a recluse because she
spent all her free time working out.
They didn't get to do anything special that evening to celebrate Douglas first
day at his new school. Instead they spent time in Douglas old home, packing
down just about everything aside from the furniture. For dinner they had some
take-away pizza before they decided to call it quits and head back to Karen's.
During their drive back Douglas decided to take Power Girl up on her advice and
talked to Karen. It started slow at first, just a basic rundown over what had
happened at school. Karen had this clever little smile painted all over her
face as soon as Douglas started talking, though she was quick to join in once
he started asking for confirmation about all the tall tales he'd heard about
her from his classmates.
Well back in his bed, Douglas felt drained and tired. It had been a long and
rough day, in more ways than one. Emotional exhaustion from crying his heart
out, mental exhaustion from all the buzz and attention he got at school and of
course physical exhaustion from trying to keep up with a hyperactive Karen
during the packing and moving. On the flip side, aside from the furniture the
two of them managed to clean out Douglas' old home in a single afternoon. Karen
played the fragile little girl card and insisted that they'd get professional
movers for the furniture. Most of his late mother's belongings were donated to
charity, while Douglas decided to keep a couple of minor things as keepsakes.
Karen had suggested that they'd put the furniture on eBay for a quick buck that
would go straight to Douglas' college fund, even though he wasn't thinking that
far ahead yet.
A refreshing shower later and Douglas relaxed on his bed with a book about
Chinese Fairy Tales. He wasn't quite sure where Karen was, but he figured even
she would be quite tired after today. For some reason he found the mental image
of Karen flat out on her bed, drooling all over her pillow highly amusing.
Lying in bed, his mind started drift around in the sea of memories and Douglas'
latest chat with Power Girl eventually surfaced. With his imagination as his
canvas and the memories as his paint, Douglas started to paint a different
image of how the conversation had played out.
The memory started out as normal, with Douglas in the kitchen of his old home
and Power Girl soon knocked on the back door. From here on out, the
similarities between reality and fantasy were washed away, leaving fantasy the
dominating element. Power Girl was not awkward in her reasoning why she had
knocked on Douglas' door, instead she struck him as someone who'd been starved
for lust. Douglas happily invited her inside, an invitation Power Girl accepted
by giving Douglas a deep kiss while cupping his face in her hands. When they
broke off their kiss, a silver string of saliva bridged the gap between them,
Power Girl lustfully licking up the aftertaste on her lips.
“Guess you couldn't stand it any more, huh Power Girl?” Fantasy Douglas said
with a sly grin.
“Oh you got that right.” Power Girl said, giving him a warm sensual smile.
“It's not like I could forget what we had at the hospital.”
Walking up to Power Girl, Fantasy Douglas pressed her backwards with each step
until she bumped into the kitchen counter. Looking at him with an intense
erotic gaze, Power Girl removed his glasses and Douglas indulged himself to her
cleavage, massaging the sides and undersides of her breasts. Running her
fingers through his hair, Power Girl pressed the back of Douglas head deeper
into her large, soft breasts. Coming up for air, Douglas looked Power Girl in
the eyes while he ran his tongue across the skin of her breasts left bare by
the chest window in her costume. Drawing a sharp, bone chilling breath between
her teeth, Power Girl climbed onto the kitchen counter, sitting down on the
edge and supporting herself with the arms behind her. Douglas stood before her
and she wrapped her legs firmly around his hips as he leaned in to penetrate
her.
A hoarse almost primal groan of pleasure crawled out from deep inside Power
Girls' throat as Douglas slid inside to the full length of his manhood. In a
blissful daze Power Girl's head swayed from left to right, a content smile
curved her full lips. Spine-twisting fulfillment colored her face as he slowly
started to pull back before Power Girl's face opened wide with surprise and a
gasp of ecstasy the moment Douglas forcefully slammed inside her without
warning. The warm moist insides of Power Girl held him in a sweet, pulsating
massage while her legs pressed and eased on his hips making him poke her depths
ever so slightly.
Picking up the pace, Fantasy Douglas went for short, rapid moving jabs inside
Power Girl. She gritted her jaw, panting between clenched teeth while her
voluptuous breasts bounced and jiggled against the confines of her form-fitting
suit. Reaching the inner, most deepest parts Fantasy Douglas stopped and held
his hips in place, resting his chin inside Power Girl's cleavage. Slowly he
started to retract, watching Power Girl's face twitch and twist with lustful
glee, allowing her a moment to catch her breath. Feeling that he was almost
out, Power Girl locked her legs in a childish protest and Fantasy Douglas
teased her by slowly reentering her taking a two steps forward, one step back
approach. Power Girl's face and bare chest were painted with a thick coat of
glinting sweat, she forced a smile between her shifting faces of sensual
teasing. With one last nudge of her legs, Power Girl brought Fantasy Douglas
over the edge and he let out all of his lust inside her.
“You like that Power Girl? Like it when I unload a good week's worth of cum
inside you?” Douglas pressed out while twitching his hips to make sure that he
got out every drop.
Back to reality, Douglas laid lazily in bed, pants and underwear around his
ankles and a ball of paper tissue tucked inside the palm of his hand. Basking
in the afterglow, he found himself floating on a cloud high above the troubles
of the real world. Glancing over at the clock on his bedside table, Douglas
noticed that it had gotten quite late and if he had any plans of getting enough
sleep to be productive at school the next day, he'd better consider going to
bed right about now. Tossing away the paper tissue and straightening up,
Douglas headed to the bathroom next to his room to brush his teeth and get a
fresh set of clothes ready for the next day. The clothes he wore now had that
not so pleasant hint of sweat smell, so they would have to go into the laundry.
Standing outside Douglas room, Karen tightly held on to a couple of freshly
washed towels that was intended for his bathroom. Her whole frame was locked in
a stiff, brittle pose and it took the sound of running water from Douglas'
bathroom to make Karen crack free. Loosening up and taking deep breaths through
her nose, Karen looked around in the empty hallway left to right before resting
her blue and brown eye on the pale white door that lead into Douglas' bedroom.
Clenching her fists firmly around the towels, Karen swallowed hard before
turning around on her heel, walking on light almost dancing feet while faintly
humming some obscure, lighthearted melody to herself.
***** Secret Identity *****
Chapter Summary
     Karen's identity as Power Girl is unintentionally revealed to Douglas
     when she saves him from a home accident. Despite learning this big
     secret, Douglas suspects that Power Girl is not completely honest
     with him about everything. Douglas partially confine himself to
     Eddie.
“Wait, why don't you have a cellphone?” Karen asked, waving her fork around
instead of helping herself with more bacon from her breakfast plate.
“I used to, but I lost it.” Douglas said, his tone suggesting that they'd had
this conversation before.
“When did this happen?” Karen sighed, shaking her head a little while turning
her attention back to her breakfast.
“This was before your time, Karen.” Douglas assured her. “Back when Power Girl
saved me form the accident.”
Karen's fork clattered against her plate as it slipped out of her hand. Douglas
gave her a passing, curious glance before helping himself with some juice. The
conversation had come to a grinding halt, Karen seemed to shrink in her seat
while she picked up her fork and poked the few slices of bacon around on her
plate. Putting aside the mug of juice with a calm thud, Douglas slowly cracked
his neck to the left before holding back a yawn. On the kitchen counter a small
radio did its best to starve off the looming silence with some soft, gentle
acoustic guitar tunes, though its low volume only added insult to injury.
“Karen?” Douglas asked across the kitchen table, who immediately left her
brooding and looked at him with curious eyes. “Do you think I can get some kind
allowance?”
“Oh. Oh right!” Karen's face lit up with a smile. “You know what, you should.
You definitely should.”
Folding her hands and fingers around her coffee mug, Karen let the soft, pale
steam tickle her nose and cheeks, taking in its warm aroma with an calm and
relived expression painted over her face. Douglas allowed himself a faint smile
before hiding it behind a glass of juice. The two spent the rest of their
breakfast to discuss the terms of Douglas' allowance, cracking the occasional
joke at one another about outrageous payments and outlandish tasks to fulfill
in order to get said payment. School was tugging along at its usual phase,
another normal and rather uneventful day with Douglas spending most of his free
time in the school library.
Back home at Karen's place, Douglas entered the house just in time to catch the
phone ringing. On the other end was Eddie and Kris who were eager to come over
for a visit as they've yet to see Douglas' new crib. A little hesitant at
first, Douglas finally caved as Kris really wanted to come over as she'd just
gotten her drivers license. While he was quite sure that Karen was fine with
it, Douglas decided give her a heads up regardless, since it was rather unusual
for them to get visitors. Wandering around in the mansion, Douglas looked for
Karen in the kitchen, guest room and even the master bedroom after giving the
door a polite knock.
“Where is she hiding?” Douglas muttered to himself.
With no Karen to be found, Douglas opted to check the second floor, but still
came out with nothing. There was the chance that Karen was in the shower, but
if that was the case he'd hear the running water. Just to be on the safe side,
Douglas checked the bathroom at the first floor, but even that was empty. It
wasn't unheard of that Karen just took off every now and then, but she usually
left a note if that was the case. She had dismissed them as rich people
problems and despite great advancements in telecommunication technology, there
were still things that needed to be done face to face. Douglas had wanted to
press the issue as he felt Karen feed him lies, but didn't feel that their
relationship was quite there yet. Casual small talk was one thing,
confrontations was a whole other level.
Finally Douglas decided to check the garage just to be on the safe side. There
was a chance, however slim, that Karen had fiddled with something in the garage
and had an accident. Though given her extensive stamina and strength, Douglas
figured it would take a small avalanche to give Karen any trouble worth while.
Opening the side door to the garage, Douglas found Karen wearing a orange
overall suit, wrench in hand and half a dozen other tools scattered over the
floor. She had her attention fully focused on a new addition to the garage; a
DeLorean DMC-12.
“You've bought a new car?” Douglas asked.
“Hm? Oh hi Douglas.” Karen greeted him smiling with oil and sot spots dotted
around on her face. “Yeah, isn't it great?”
“What happened to that sci-fi looking BMW that you had?” Douglas pondered,
squatting down to look at the jacked up car.
“I returned it shortly after I saw this little baby on eBay.” Karen nodded
satisfyingly to herself while rubbing her hands clean with a piece of old
cloth.
“Fine, it is your money after all. Spend it how you see fit.” Douglas sighed,
giving up on his efforts to keep up with Karen's eccentrics. “What do you plan
on doing with this one?”
“Ah-ha, I'm glad you asked.” She said, stepping over some tools that laid on
the floor and over to the desk. “I plan on putting an electrical engine in it.
See?”
“Do you even know how to do that?” Douglas asked, sounding skeptical at best.
“Well no, but it is a learning experience Douglas!” Karen replied with a
psyched up voice. “You hungry or something?”
“That reminds me.” Douglas said, recalling why he was looking for Karen in the
first place. “Kris and Eddie will be coming over. I hope you don't mind.”
“Eddie and Kris? Friends of yours, from school?” Karen frowned, trying to place
their names in her head. “I don't mind Douglas, just don't break anything and
stay clear of my room, okay?”
A good 10 minutes later and Kris came over in her parents car with Eddie riding
shotgun. Douglas greeted them in the driveway and gave them a tour of the place
once they were inside. At the end of their little tour, the trio settled in the
leisure room on the second floor. Kris stood for the music by browsing through
the jukebox, while Eddie and Douglas entertained themselves with a game of
pool. Roughly halfway through their game, Karen came by with some snacks and
properly introduced herself to Douglas' friends.
“This is Kris, a good friend of mine from my old school.” Douglas started, “And
this fellow here is Eddie, a hardcore Power Girl fan.”
“Pleased to meet you, Ms. Starr.” Kris said with a polite tone.
“Always a pleasure!” Eddie replied with an extravagant bow. “Your quite the
beauty Ms. Starr, if I may say so myself.”
“I'm glad I got a chance to meet the two of you in person.” Karen smiled.
“Douglas, I'm afraid I have to go on a trip for the next few days.”
“Oh? Something's come up?” Douglas asked, putting away his pool stick.
“It's the governor...” Karen sighed. “If I could wiggle out of it, I would
but...”
“Must be pretty important if you're gonna be away for a few days.” Douglas said
with a tone that suggested this was one of the things that simply couldn't be
helped.
“It's just a meet and greet for the most part.” Karen groaned before adding:
“In Texas.”
“You're meeting with the governor of Texas?!” Kris was apparently very
impressed.
“Yeah, money do come with some disadvantages.” Karen said with a bitter smile.
Karen packed some things together and took a taxi to the airport, leaving
Douglas home alone with his friends. That did not by any means put a damper on
the trio as they had a good time regardless. When pressed for just what Karen
did for a living, Douglas couldn't really come with a good answer as the
question had gone unanswered for as long as he had known her. Eddie jokingly
suggested that she started up as a Power Girl lookalike model before making a
big break on Wall Street or something to that effect. According to him, Karen
most definitely could have pulled it off as soon as she put some hours in the
gym to buff up and get contacts to deal with her mismatching eye color.
Kris on the other hand pointed out that Karen was not a simple millionaire, she
was a billionaire. Story went that several of the best selling apps on Apple's
App Store were made by Karen Starr. Multiple of these apps were later
translated to the Google Android platform, adding even more money to Karen's
already swollen bank account. Even her first real take on Wall St was a success
story; Karen bet her then modest savings against the banks back in 2005 and
when the housing market crashed, she made a very nice profit that rocketed her
into millionaire status. That little story made both Eddie and Douglas take a
moment to let it sink in. Douglas knew that Karen was rich, but he'd always
seen her somewhere in the millionaire or at best in the multimillionaire range.
The fact that she was actually a billionaire was mind-boggling to say the
least.
While Douglas suggested that they'd just sleep over instead of driving back,
Eddie had to decline as he had to babysit his little sister as his parents
would attend a wedding. With Kris as his designated driver, she had to go as
well. Bummed down that they had to leave so soon, Douglas told both of them
that they were welcome to drop by whenever they felt like it. After Eddie and
Kris drove off, Douglas returned to his reading room and made the hours fly by
finally giving the black gilmore he'd found a good read. While the content of
the book was dancing along the lines of stupidity, Douglas was nonetheless
intrigued by it as there was little doubt in his mind that it was the real
deal.
The next couple of days were rather uneventful for Douglas, spending his days
at school, doing homework and taking care of his laundry. He did consider
cleaning Karen's laundry as well, but ultimately decided against it. She might
give him some lip for doing so, then again he could risk a mild scolding for
not doing it either. Karen did give him a call, saying that she'd be back late
Friday night. The leading headline on the news was that Power Girl had
seriously stepped up her game in an effort to keep Mexican drug cartels out of
America; several large drug production sites had been hit, a couple of hundred
arrested and large quantities of drugs either confiscated or flat out
destroyed.
With the mansion to himself, Douglas did let himself loose. The news had shown
a lot of images of Power Girl in action and while it had been some time since
the two of them spoke face to face, Douglas could not help but using the images
to cook up another fantasy of him banging her. This time around the two of them
had just defeated a powerful drug lord and were basking in the aftermath of
their battle. Finding a luxurious master bedroom with suitcases scattered about
half filled with cash, fantasy Douglas gave Power Girl a push, making her land
on the bed face down. Lying on her tummy, with her weight on her forearms and
one leg bent out to the side, the other outstretched behind her, Power Girl
looked over her shoulder at fantasy Douglas with starved eyes.
Fantasy Douglas got top of her and after pulling her suit aside, entered her
from behind, taking his weight on his arms. The pressure of his body on her
pelvis created pleasure for Power Girl and the rhythm of his movements kept
increasing, building up to higher levels of ecstasy. Hoarse groans crawled out
from deep inside Power Girl's throat as her hands gripped on to the bed sheets,
tearing them apart in the seams. With the bed rocking and creaking under them,
Douglas shifted his weight around so he could slip one free hand underneath
Power Girl, cupping her big breast in his palm.
“Yeah! Oh baby! Fuck me, Douglas! Fuck me hard!” Power Girl cried between her
gritted teeth.
“You like that? You like my cock in your pussy, huh? Say it!” Fantasy Douglas
whispered loudly in her ear while smacking his cock deeper inside.
“Oooh, I love it! I love getting fucked by a big, fat American cock after
dishing out justice!” Power Girl moaned out before loosing her voice to a
girlish giggle.
“I bet you do, Power Girl!” Douglas shouted out with a extra deep thrust of his
hips before leaning in for a faint whisper. “I'll cum buckets worth inside your
cunt.”
“Ah yes! YES! Give me that thick cum!” Power Girl rasped with a coarse voice.
“Your cum is the best, Douglas. Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me! Fuck me!”
Picking up the pace, Douglas went for the last sprint, pumping in and out of
Power Girl's pussy rapidly. Her round butt-cheeks felt fantastic, their warmth
licking his pelvis every time he went balls deep inside her. The wet smacking
sound of their union filled the room as well as the stench of their sex. One of
the legs on the bed either cracked or got knocked out of its place, making the
bed suddenly jerk to a different position. Just as the bed landed, fantasy
Douglas fired off his load deep inside Power Girl, who's pussy milked up every
drop. Sweaty and panting with exhaustion, fantasy Douglas slid out and rolled
over to the side, feeling content and fulfilled in the aftertaste. Power Girl
laid at his side, heaving for air and soaking in sweat.
Back in reality, Friday came and went, and if Karen arrived back home, Douglas
had not noticed. The thought didn't even cross his mind until he was in the
kitchen early the following morning making breakfast. He figured that he should
at the very least check with Karen if she was in the mood for breakfast or if
she intended to sleep in. Giving the door to the master bedroom a polite knock,
Douglas didn't get any immediate reply. Opening the door so that he could
barely stick his head inside, Douglas couldn't see much as the curtains were
drawn closed and the lights were off. Once his eyes had adjusted a little, he
could see the silhouette of a person lying in bed and the sounds of early
morning groaning soon followed.
“Sorry, did I wake you Karen?” Douglas asked with a small, hushed voice.
“Mmm? What time is it?” Karen mumbled from her bed. “God I feel like shit...”
“It's 09:48.” He told her. “Would you like some breakfast now or do you want to
sleep in?”
“You're a life safer Douglas. I'll take...” Karen started before cutting
herself short. “Shit.”
“We've got some eggs that needs to be eaten before they go bad.” Douglas
suggested, not really catching Karen's breakfast request.
“I'll just sleep in a little while longer, Douglas.” She told him. “Thanks for
the offer though, appreciate it.”
“Don't tell me you're hung over...” He sighed more to himself.
“Ugh, my head... why does it have to hurt?” Karen groaned, rolling herself into
a ball of quilt and misery.
“That must have been some meet and greet.” Douglas said as he closed the door.
“Sleep tight.”
Once back at the kitchen, Douglas realized that he'd made a terrible mistake.
The frying pan was ablaze with a nasty looking grease fire. To make matters
worse, his composure went out the window and in the heat of the moment all his
brain could come up with was that fire was bad. From there it was a short and
generally speaking logical leap to the conclusion that to deal with the bad
fire, just add water. By the time the smoke alarm started screaming its
circuits off, Douglas already had a glass of water ready and standing a few
feet away, tossed it at the fire. The resulting fireball that shot out from the
pan and licked the bulk of the kitchen roof with a tongue of thick, black smoke
put the fear of God in Douglas' bones, so all he did was cower in fear,
shielding his face as best he could.
A fraction of a second later, there was a loud bang and cracking of wood before
the sound of a howling wind filled the kitchen while the temperature shot
downwards like a bullet. Sitting on the floor and peeking out from behind his
arms, Douglas looked around in the kitchen. The corner with the stove was
covered in a thin layer of sliver frost crystals, twinkling in the morning sun
like little stars. In front of him Douglas saw the tall and broad back of
Karen, she stood in her singlet and panties pajamas with her legs wide apart,
hands clenched into angry fists and for the first time ever, Douglas noticed
she was buff. While not body builder buff, she certainly looked like she could
kick just about any man's ass without breaking too much sweat, or at the very
least give him one hell of a run for his money.
These new discoveries quickly felt insignificant compared to what Douglas saw
when Karen turned her head over her shoulder. She was pissed or rather furious
beyond anything Douglas had seen before. Yes she'd some temper and an attitude
that had flared up on occasion, but this was in a whole different ballgame. The
way she looked at him, it felt like a glare that could sink battleships and her
words certainly matched her angry blue eyes. At this point Douglas was unsure
if Karen saving him had actually improved his situation or not. It certainly
didn't look that way as far as he could tell.
“The hell is wrong with you, Douglas?!” She barked at him. “Never EVER use
water to put out a grease fire!”
He wanted to apologize but the words couldn't get out of his jammed brain, let
alone slide of his tongue. Karen didn't take it lightly that he just sat there
flat on his ass, staring at her as if he'd been hit by a bolt of lightning. If
anything, it only made her already horrible mood go even further south judging
by the looks on her face. As she turned around and approached him, Douglas was
convinced that she'd give him a good beating, for it sure looked like the only
possible outcome. He just hoped it would be with the flat palm rather than a
clenched fist. Instead Karen flopped down on her knees in front of him and
embraced him, holding him close to her and running her fingers through his
hair.
While they sat like this for a small moment, Douglas let his eyes slide over to
the other side of the kitchen and noticed that the kitchen door had been kicked
down with such force that it had snapped in half and taken a couple of pieces
of the door frame with it for the ride. Karen was strong, that much was
evident, but even with an adrenaline rush that was some absurd power in play.
Douglas didn't get more time to ponder the finer physics involved in kicking
down kitchen doors however, as he noticed that Karen was actually crying.
“H-h-hey, I'm sorry. Okay?” Douglas comforted her by returning her embrace.
“I'm alright, see?”
“NO! It is NOT okay!” Karen protested, crying into his shoulder. “I could have
lost you...!”
“B-b-but you didn't, alright?” Douglas assured her as best he could, stroking
the top of her head. “A light burn and lost dignity from pissing my own pants
is...”
“Burn?! You got burned?!” Karen held Douglas at arms length, her fingers
digging into his shoulders.
“Ow!” Douglas yelped, making Karen loose her hold on him entirely. “Yeah,
though I think my clothes to most of it.”
Karen didn't waste any time and swiftly yanked Douglas back on his feet before
dragging him over to the kitchen counter where she practically tore off his
sweater and t-shirt with her bare hands, tossing the shreds aside. Giving his
arms a closer inspection, Karen found the underside of his left forearm red and
scalding. Opening one of the kitchen closets, she quickly fished out a couple
of bottles of oil and put a healthy dose in her hand before applying on Douglas
forearm. As the oil got coated on, Douglas noticed that Karen was again getting
irritated over something. With an annoyed shout, Karen looked up at the ceiling
and gave the blaring smoke detector an angry glare. It was so angry that the
detector flat out melted and fell silent. The smell of burned plastic soon
followed, but at least now Karen seemed calm again.
“Karen?” Douglas asked quietly as her hands grew slower and slower while
applying the oil. “I'm really, really sorry. Okay?”
“Me too.” She replied with a small voice. “About a lot of things.”
“Even so, that was amazing.” Douglas said, hoping to cheer her up. “Coming in
here as fast as you did, kicking down the kitchen door and... and.. using.. the
fire extinguisher....?”
Douglas mind was starting to catch up with what had actually transpired during
those few seconds and it became clear to him that things didn't add up. Getting
to the kitchen as fast as she did made sense, given how fit she was and added
bonus points for adrenaline kick. The shattered door was a bit more tricky, but
it could still be explained with physical fitness and adrenaline, even if it
was stretching it. As for the frozen stove and no fire extinguisher, things
started to fall apart. Then there was the smoke detector that more or less
melted on its own. With a flabbergasted look, Douglas ended up looking at Karen
and only now noticed that both her eyes were blue.
“You're... you're not actually Power Girl by any chance, are you?” Douglas
sheepishly asked her.
“Bing-bong, you're correct.” She told him with a small smile, shrugging her
shoulders a little.
After getting a fresh change of clothes, Douglas splashed some cold water on
his face in an effort to collect himself and make sense from what Karen had
told him. All this time he'd been living with Power Girl? Just what the hell
was going on around here? Figuring he was way over his head, Douglas decided it
was best if he just walked away from it all. Getting one of the riches people
in the state to become your legal guardian is one thing, realizing that the
same person is the worlds only superhuman is a whole other level of nope.
Quickly packing some basic luggage, Douglas figured he'd just catch a ride and
crash at Eddie's place. Heck, he might just as well head back to his old home
back at West Point. It wasn't much, but it was something and it was going to
get him the hell out of this mansion of madness.
“Where are you going Douglas?” Karen asked calmly as she met him in the
hallway.
“Out...” Douglas' reply was short and coated with fear. “Back home.”
“Douglas please, hear me out okay?” Karen pleaded, offering her hand to him.
“No, you stay away from me!” Douglas shouted at her, shrinking back while
clutching his luggage. “I know your secret and that's bad, right?!”
“Calm down Douglas.” Karen said calmly, taking a step back to give him some
space. “You're not thinking straight and you're hyperventilating.”
“No, no, no, no! I won't tell, I won't tell anyone!” Douglas cried, panic and
hysteria sinking their fangs into his mind. “Just! Let me go, please!”
“Douglas, listen to me.” Karen insisted with a more commanding, yet soft voice.
“You need to breathe, deep breaths.”
Douglas mind started to slip into waves of dizziness, he felt a tingling in the
lips, hands and feet. A nasty headache started to crack around inside his skull
like an earthquake, while his body felt like it was sinking into a pool of
weakness. The last thing he remembered was loosing control over his legs due to
spasms and Karen rushing forward to catch him as he fell to the floor.
When he came to, Douglas' alarm clock on his bedside table told him it was way
past noon. Feeling someone else being present in the room, Douglas peered
around and found Karen sitting on the edge of his bed. Now sporting a loose
light gray knitted sweater with the arms pulled halfway up her forearms, and a
wide o neck showing the top of her chest. A light yellow, ankle long summer
skirt with a lush-fully green flower decor along the edge was neatly folded
around her legs. She noticed him shifting around in the bed and turn around,
her face became a slushy blur as she leaned in since Douglas wasn't wearing his
glasses.
“Hey, you okay?” Her gentle voice sounded like a faint smile as she stroke his
hair softly.
“Uhm, I could use some water...” Douglas said with a hoarse voice.
Karen rose from the bed and headed to Douglas' bathroom on quiet feet, the way
her skirt bellowed up in the air as she walked suggested that it was made of a
very thin fabric. While she was away, Douglas helped himself to his glasses
that were neatly folded on his bedside table. Returning from the bathroom,
Karen took a seat on the edge of the bed and offered him a glass of water.
Sitting up in bed, Douglas drank the glass nearly empty before he held it
timidly in his lap. What now? He had a hundred different questions swirling
around in his head, each screaming for attention. Karen seemed to pick up on
his confusion and calmly placed her hand on top of his, smiling faintly at him.
“So... Power Girl, huh?” Douglas finally said, breaking the silence.
“Mm-hmm.” Was all that Karen said in reply while nodding her head.
“Is me knowing that you're...” Douglas started, fumbling with his words. “A bad
thing?”
“No, not at all. Better this way actually.” Karen replied quietly, tilting her
head. “My identity isn't a super secret anyway.”
“It isn't?” The question practically plopped out of his mouth before his brain
could even register that it was out in the open.
“The US government has known since the early days of the Clinton
administration.” Karen explained that as technology progressed and the world
got more connected, it became difficult to keep her two lives a secret.
“That long? Wow...” Douglas was not sure if he was impressed that the
government found out or that Karen kept it going for as long as she did. “How
did they find out?”
“The military have some very interesting toys, that are not known to the
general public.” She told him with a tone that suggested they should drop that
subject.
“Were you ever going to tell me?” He asked Karen.
“At some point, yes.” Karen confirmed, nodding to herself. “Ideally a few years
down the line, hoping, gambling even that our relationship would be a little
less fragile by then and the reveal itself would not be so... dramatic.”
“So what happens now?” Douglas was worried about the answer, but was silently
hoping that it wouldn't be all that bad.
“Less lies, more honesty.” Karen said as if it explained everything. “Though
you'll have to keep this a secret.”
“Why?” The question plopped out of Douglas' mouth before his brain could even
think of putting on the breaks. Trying to salvage his own stupidity, he added
the first thing that came to mind. “I mean, if the government already knows...”
“There's no shortage of people that want to hurt me.” Karen explained
patiently. She reached out with one hand and gently stroke Douglas' cheek. “If
they knew, they could try to use you to get to me. Understand?”
Thinking back on how she'd reacted to the grease fire,it was no stretch of the
imagination to say that Karen would raise hell and high water to get him out of
trouble. Although they were pretty far north, given Power Girl's recent hard
push against the Mexican drug cartels, there was the faint possibility that he
could be in danger if they knew what he was worth to her. Though at the end of
the day, Douglas was a nobody, just another kid among millions. So what was it
about him that made Power Girl, or rather Karen, so protective of him?
“Uhm... why are...” Douglas started, Karen picking up the glass of water out of
his hands. “What is it about me that makes me so special?”
Karen seem to freeze, her fingers lingering a small inch away from the glass of
water she'd just put quietly on the bedside table. Small tweaks in her face,
her rich blue eyes jerked around a little as if she was rapidly reading a text.
After a small hesitant moment, Karen retracted her hand, the fingers curling
into a weak and loose fist before she settled on lightly nipping on the
fingernail on her thumb. Her eyes went from Douglas and then down to the floor
in front of her, then back at Douglas.
“Let's take it one step at the time, okay?” She finally said, rising from the
bed. “You've been through a lot and I've got a kitchen to fix. Get some rest,
okay sweetie?”
She leaned in and gave Douglas a light kiss on his forehead, taken by surprise
Douglas' eyes shifted around restlessly as Karen's loose sweater showed off a
very generous view of her cleavage framed inside a navy blue bra. As soon as
Karen was out of sight, Douglas flopped back in bed, trying his best to
organize his thoughts regarding today's events. Power Girl, of all the people
it had to be her. As if the odds for getting taken in by someone like Karen
Starr was not enough. Down the hallway, Douglas could hear Karen on the phone
talking to someone. Hopefully not the US government, though at this point that
wouldn't really surprise Douglas all that much. Even Power Girl might have to
call something like this in, just to keep others in the loop if nothing else.
A small hour later, Douglas started to get hungry and decided to get something
to eat. The kitchen shouldn't be a total mess, though judging from the
hammering and sound of muffled construction work coming from further down the
hallway, it might be off limits for the time being. Even so they could just eat
out or order take out, right? After getting changed, Douglas left his bedroom
for the kitchen where he found carpenters working on setting up a new door
frame on one end and a couple of other men unpacking the new oven. With money
being a non issue, it made sense to simply buy a new one or maybe it was
covered by insurance? Seeing a bucket of paint on the floor, Douglas assumed
that they would start painting over the black burn marks on the ceiling at some
point, so that would mean that the kitchen was or soon would be off limits.
Leaving the kitchen behind, Douglas opted to go outside for a bite.
Backtracking to his bedroom, he picked up his wallet and headed outside. The
driveway to Karen's garage was for once not naked and bare. The servicemen that
had been called in for the repairs had parked their vans there and then there
was the issue of a couple of pitch black cars at the back. Both of these black
cars just screamed government issue, though it was not really easy to tell from
which agency they came from. Opposite of the driveway, Douglas spotted Karen's
blond hair sticking up from the first government car, apparently talking to at
least one other red haired guy who stood a few inches shorter than Karen's flat
6' tall frame.
Karen took notice of Douglas in the corner of her eye and stretched upwards to
peek over the car before waving him over. Nervously he walked towards Karen and
her government associates, all the time reasoning that it would be better to
get this over with quickly and that Karen would have his back. As soon as he
arrived, Karen was quick to put him in front of her, placing both of her hands
on his shoulders. The red haired agent measured him up and down a few times
before squinting back at Karen in the sunlight.
“Agent Reed, this is my adoptive son Douglas.” Karen said, there was a motherly
pride coating her words. “Douglas, this is special agent Reed from the FBI.”
“Pleased to meet you.” Douglas said, thanking whomever or whatever was in
charge of things that his voice didn't crack.
Special agent Reed didn't look too impressed, in fact he looked a little bored,
like a poker star. The stakes might be higher than what most mortals could
stomach, but it didn't seem to faze special agent Reed. Since her so called
cover was blown back in '93, Karen had struck a deal with the Clinton
administration. She'd be allowed to go about her business on the condition that
she'd abide by US law and check in with the FBI every now and then, especially
if something big happened. Not that a grease fire was anything to write home
about, but deciding to start a family, however small, was. Special agent Reed
was the third in line of FBI agents Karen had reported to, along with his
partner; special agent Reese.
Whatever they were talking about, Douglas was not let in on it. Special agent
Reed took his leave, giving Karen a short nod of his head as his goodbye and
drove off in his car. Whomever that had accompanied him followed suit. Karen
sighed with relief as soon as the cars were out of sight, Douglas had felt her
fingers tensing up a little on his shoulders as special agent Reed and his
entourage started up their cars. It was just a wild guess on his end, but
Douglas suspected that things weren't all happy hour between Karen and the FBI.
“Did you want something, honey?” Karen asked, softly folding her arms around
Douglas, rocking him back and forth in her embrace while resting her chin on
the top of his head.
“I was going to eat.” Douglas replied, finding Karen's sudden nicknaming and
intimacy a little off putting. “Considering that the kitchen is off limits, I
was going to... I dunno, grab a burger or something.”
“Yeah, food sounds good.” Karen agreed, Douglas could feel her tilting her head
left and right a few times as she spoke. “Hold that thought for a minute and
I'll join you.”
“You sure?” Douglas asked, looking up and over his right shoulder. “What about
the carpenters?”
“Those guys?” She let out a sniffed laugh through her nostrils. “Sealed,
stamped and approved by the FBI. It's not like they're going to find my secret
lair or anything.”
Karen took a light jog back to the mansion, her yellow skirt sailing behind her
in a hurried dance on the air. Watching her like that Douglas noticed that she
was actually barefooted, though given who Karen was, he found it unlikely that
walking around like that would cause her any discomfort. If you can take a tank
shell to the face and get away with it with just a messed up hair, some gravel
in a driveway under your naked feet will go by unnoticed.
A small minute later and she came back, this time with a pair of blue flat
shoes with crispy white soles. Again she approached Douglas with a slight jog,
holding on to her skirt so she wouldn't trip on it and along with every step
her soft and loose sweater rocked and swayed around her chest, arms and
shoulders. While the sweater did a remarkable good job at providing a
smokescreen for Karen's breast bouncing around, it also filled Douglas'
imagination with fictional images to compensate.
“Okay then, shall we?” Karen beamed at him, her whole face lit up like a
Broadway stage show of smiles and happiness.
It wasn't until she stood right in front of him that Douglas noticed that Karen
had gone back inside for more than just her shoes. Looking into her smiling
face he saw that her eyes were back to their familiar dual colors. Avoiding the
public eye whenever possible, different colored eyes thanks to contact lenses
and a wardrobe that specifically set out to hide her bulky and buff frame were
all smoke and mirrors to keep Karen Starr and Power Girl separated. There were
probably other tricks Karen applied as well Douglas could imagine, though he
was not exactly an expert in whatever things women applied to their person
whenever they... dolled themselves up, as his late mother would call it.
“Shouldn't we take the car?” Douglas asked once Karen started walking down the
driveway towards the exit.
“What, you mean the DeLorean?” She replied, spinning around on her heel before
resuming walking backwards. “The engine is in a hundred different pieces, plus
the driveway is blocked.”
Karen gestured to the carpenters' cars that stood parked in the driveway as if
she was stressing her point. Douglas was tempted to suggest that she could
simply lift the cars out of the way or Karen could fly them to wherever they
wanted to go, but stopped with the thought. Reminding himself that he shared
Karen's secret, Douglas had to be more mindful of his wording from here on out,
at least out in public. Considering they were on foot their options were a
little limited, though there was a sweet little burger shop right around the
corner from Karen's mansion which suited them just fine. Once there he had a
small change of heart as Douglas saw the weekend special; grilled chicken club.
They placed their orders and took a seat by a cubicle while waiting for their
orders to come through. The burger shop wasn't particular busy, it had hardly
passed noon and it was a Saturday. Guess people around here like to sleep in,
Douglas mused to himself while peering outside the window. Karen, sitting
across the table was in a cherry mood; fiddling with a toothpick between her
fingers with one hand and resting her chin in the other as she hummed a merry
tune to herself, stealing the occasional glance at Douglas. Eventually Douglas
gave up on trying to make sense out of recent events and decided to talk to
Karen, hoping to get some answers.
“Karen?” He asked quietly and Karen's humming stopped abruptly as if the
reading head on an old LP player had jumped off the record. “Would you mind if
we talked about... you know?”
“Oh Douglas, you're so sweet.” She flashed him a toothy grin, squinting her
eyes at him as if he was so adorable she couldn't help herself. “I'm happy to
talk. What do you want to know?”
“What was that deal with the FBI?” He wondered.
“Just Uncle Sam checking in, nothing you need to worry about.” Karen assured
him, still smiling as if she'd won a million dollars. Seeing that Douglas
didn't appear all that convinced, her face grew a little more serious.
“Douglas, leave that kind of thing to me.” She started, her tone sober and
softly embraced in a pleading tune. “They won't come between us and split us
apart. I won't let them.”
“I guess I'll have to trust you on that one.” Douglas replied after letting
Karen's words sink in for a long moment.
“Good.” Karen let the word roll out like a soft whisper, discarding the
toothpick and letting her hand slide across the table, folding it over Douglas'
hand.
For the remainder of the time Karen and Douglas spent at the burger shop, the
conversation covered the more practical parts of keeping Karen's true identity
secret. No one was to know, they'd have to be careful when talking on the
phone, sending text messages and the topic was naturally banned from all social
media, no exceptions. The only exception would be face to face conversation
when it was just the two of them at Karen's home. Then just about anything was
fair game as far as conversations went. Public spaces was more restricted,
though face to face conversation was allowed as long as it was discreet.
“Wow, this is... this is a lot to take in at once.” Douglas said as they left
the burger shop.
“I know sweetie, but trust me when I say that the last thing you want to do is
start spinning an elaborate web of lies.” Karen said apologetically, sounding
small and timid. “Keep it simple and don't breathe a word of it.”
Douglas stopped in his tracks, watching Karen as she carried on walking across
the small parking lot that was in front of the burger shop. She stretched her
right arm in the air, folding her left arm over her head and grabbing her right
arm just underneath her elbow before tensing up her back and shoulders.
Reaching the sidewalk, Karen turned around – probably noticing Douglas eyes on
her or simply wondering why he'd stopped. In his head, Douglas went over their
chat at the burger shop and had noticed that Karen had started showering him
with nicknames; sweetie, honey, darling and the like. It was very unlike her
and it seemed out of character. Not that Douglas knew Karen all that well, but
even so.
“Douglas, what's on your mind?” Karen asked, she sounded a little troubled or
worried even. “Something wrong?”
“It's...” He started, for a moment considering dropping it as it was apparent
that Karen was very happy right now and telling her that the nicknaming was off
putting might spoil it. “...just a minor thing really, what's the deal with the
nicknaming?”
There was a subtle, yet clear change in Karen's composure as the question
rolled over her. If Douglas were to describe it, it looked as if the real Karen
slipped backstage into the shadows and a masked Karen stepped up and into the
center stage. Something was not right he thought, there was something that she
was not telling him. What on Earth could that be? She had already spilled the
beans on her dual identity as Power Girl and things don't get much bigger than
that.
“I'm just happy I can be fully honest with you, Douglas.” Karen said, almost as
if making a point of calling him by his name rather than sweetheart or whatever
she would have, for the lack of a better word, normally done. “That makes you
very dear to me.”
Douglas was considering pressing the issue or dropping it when Karen's
attention shot to her left and she peered down the street towards her mansion.
The carpenters and servicemen were taking their leave as their vans drove by,
giving their horns a few beeps as they passed Karen. She didn't respond to
either of them as her eyes grew distant. Was there trouble brewing somewhere,
Douglas wondered. Time for Karen to suit up and save the day as Power Girl? The
thought sunk into Douglas mind like little spikes. The idea that Karen would
from time to time literately fly off to save the day would take some time to
get used to, if Douglas could ever get used to it.
“Phone's ringing.” Karen said, her voice sounded awfully flat before she got
very serious and darted off pretty much like a speeding bullet. A fraction of a
second and she was gone, yet no sonic boom this time around.
Shifting his gaze around himself, as far as he could tell the street was
deserted and no curious souls were peeking through the curtains from any of the
surrounding houses. Still he didn't want to start drawing attention to himself,
so Douglas did his part in keeping up appearances and walked normally back to
the mansion. Once back inside in the main hallway on the first floor, Douglas
found Karen's skirt or rather what was left of it lying on the floor. Guess a
thin and light fabric was not able to withstand that kind of movement and come
out in one piece. It made Douglas realize that this might become a more common
occurrence in the days ahead.
The door to the master bedroom was ajar and also brand spanking new. Guess it
too got a beating when Karen dashed into the kitchen, though as far as Douglas
could tell it had fared better than the kitchen door. Either that or the
carpenters were just damn good at their job, heck it might not even be the
first time they'd changed the doors in Karen's home come to think of it. Karen
called for Douglas from inside the master bedroom.
“It's your friend, Eddie.” She told him, handing him the phone.
“Hey Eddie, what's up?” Douglas said, feeling a little off as Karen eyed him
carefully with serious eyes. “Uhm Karen, your skirt.” He pointed at her hips
while covering over the phone.
Glancing down, Karen finally realized she was standing in her vine red panties
as her skirt had taken a leave of absence due to her sudden sprint to catch the
phone. Her muscled thighs were tastefully framed along the black edges of her
vine red panties and she looked really stunning from her waist to her ankles.
The blue and white shoes however, really crashed with the rest of her style.
While Douglas opted to focus on the conversation with Eddie rather than staring
holes in Karen's hips, crouch and thighs, his eyes were still drawn to them as
she walked around the bed and to the closet on the opposite side. There was
something sensual and soft about her gait, her hands rested in a soft sway just
inches away from her hips while the bottom of her sweater only allowed the
lower half of her panties to come into view.
As she rounded the corner of the bed, Karen cast half a glance over her left
shoulder, a mature smile, faintly dotted with hints of arousal took form on her
lips as she eyed Douglas' reaction with a lazy and content gaze. It was just
for a second, the kind of second that the movies drags out to a full minute
with slow motion footage, volume light and a soothing instrumental melody
sliding lightly in the background. The moment was lost as Karen turned away her
gaze and reached out for the closet doors. Eddie's voice seemed to jump from a
near muffled and muted volume to full throttle death metal live performance at
the clacking of the closet doors opening.
“Yeah, I'm here man.” Douglas babbled, shaking out of the moment and back to
reality. “What were we talking about again?”
Karen allowed herself another smile, larger and more knowing than earlier as
she fished out a pair of jeans from the closet. Sitting down on the bed, she
removed her shoes and stepped into the jeans. Sinking her fingers into the belt
holders on the hips of her jeans, Karen stood up from the bed and gave her
jeans a few good tucks – alternating between left and right, shifting her hips
as she inched the jeans up and over her butt-cheeks.
“Mom is going to have a ladies nights out on the town since dad has gone off
for his high school reunion, leaving me to babysit Pam.” Eddie groaned over the
phone. “Kris isn't returning my calls, so I was hoping you could come over and
maybe catch a movie or something?”
“Uh...” Douglas was struggling with keeping more than two thoughts in his head
at the same time as there was a real struggle as of just where all his blood
should be going. “Yeah... movie at your place. That, that sounds good.”
Douglas spun around when Karen started making light grunts as she fiddled with
the buttons on her jeans, taking a few faint hops in an effort to make her
jeans cooperate with her. This was very different from what Douglas had gotten
used to when he'd started living with Karen, that much was for certain. Right
now his number one priority would be to get away from Karen before he either
said or did something he'd regret. Maybe this was a kryptonian thing, maybe
this was how Karen really was like around people she'd let into her inner
circle or maybe this was how all women behaved. What the hell did Douglas know?
Apparently that the sight of a woman walking around in a sweater and panties
was sexy as hell. You learn something every day, Douglas thought to himself
before he hastily agreed to Eddie's suggested movie. He didn't even catch the
title, since his head was spinning around like a runaway carousel loaded with
images of Karen putting jeans on.
“Going out?” Karen asked when Douglas finally put the phone down.
“Yeah!” Douglas squeaked out a few octaves higher than usual, coughing to
regain his voice. “Uh... Eddie's place, I'll keep him company while he babysits
his little sister.”
“Okay, have fun.” Karen smiled, picking up her shoes. “Call me if you decide to
sleep over though.”
“Yeah, uh... yeah I'll do that. I'll... call and.” Douglas fumbled with his
words, trying to get the images in his head out of the way so he could think
straight. “Let you know... about that. I better get going then.”
“Need a lift?” She offered, still a clever little smile on her face.
“Thanks, but I'll manage.” Douglas said before taking his leave.
A small hour later and Douglas arrived at Eddie's place. Eddie's mom had just
left and his dad had gone on his high school reunion the day before, leaving
Eddie, Pam and now Douglas alone in the house. Pamela was about 4 years younger
than Eddie and Douglas, so she was just young enough not to make the cut to
handle a weekend on her own, at least according to her parents. The three of
them spent the first few hours playing through some board games while ruining
their apatite with snacks and soda. When it came to movie time, the title of
the evening was Battleship, chosen exclusively because Pam was a die hard fan
of Rihanna. Not exactly Oscar material, but it had some nice effects and loud
explosions in it, so there was a little for everyone in it.
After the movie it had gotten late enough for Pam to hit the sack, though
through harsh negotiations over the living room coffee table it was agreed that
Pam could stay up longer, as long as she kept to her room. Eddie and Douglas
settled in the living room, firing up the game console rather than another
movie. Douglas wasn't much of a gamer, but he humored Eddie and took a back
seat watching his friend play.
“So, uh, you okay now?” Eddie asked, wiggling the controller around in his
hands.
“Yeah, it's good. Why'd you ask that?” Douglas wondered as Eddie wasn't really
the type that had “talks” with his friends.
“Dunno, thought I'd check on ya since y'know...” Eddie started, shrugging his
shoulders as if it didn't even make sense to him. “You've been through a lot of
stuff and you seem kinda.. out of it.”
“Hey, thanks man. That means a lot.” Douglas said, raising his soda can to a
lonesome toast before taking a swig. “Fire's died out and the smoke is clearing
up, sort of speak.”
“Great!” Eddie snorted frustrated, shaking his controller at the Game Over
screen. “So you and Ms. Starr are cool?”
The question shouldn't have rattled Douglas up as much as it did. It was a
reasonable question all things considered and while Eddie might not be as sharp
as Kris with these kinds of things, he was by no means blind to them either.
Thinking to himself that there was a certain bliss found in ignorance, Douglas
tried to jump start his brain so that his answer wouldn't set off any bells or
whistles in Eddie.
“Yeah, we're... getting to know each other better.” Douglas said, remembering
Karen's advice to not spin a web of lies, though he wasn't sure if half truths
were any better.
“Cool, cool.” Eddie said, loading up his saved game. “You guys are bonding,
that's great.”
“So what's the latest news on Power Girl?” Douglas blurted the question out of
old habit and mentally kicked himself for it a few seconds later when he
realized what can of worms he'd just opened.
“She did a massive bust against the drug cartels down in Mexico earlier this
week.” Eddie replied, sounding a little disappointed. “Those suckers keep their
operations out in the middle of nowhere, so there's hardly any photo's of the
bust.”
Douglas was relieved that Eddie's Power Girl fandom gave him such a tunnel
vision that he didn't notice that Douglas was squirming uncomfortably in the
sofa. Thinking about changing the subject, Douglas noticed that he had a good
opportunity to learn something about Power Girl that might fill in some dots
that had bothered him ever since he learned that Power Girl and Karen Starr
were one and the same. What little Eddie didn't know about Power Girl wasn't
really worth knowing or simply unknown.
“Say Eddie.” He started, Eddie lazily turning half around as he sat on the
floor in front of the TV. “What do you know about Power Girl's private life?
Like family, friends... that kind of thing.”
“Well damn son, where did that question come from?” Eddie asked, putting away
his game controller and turning his full attention to Douglas. “You never
really cared about her before, right?”
“Yeah, well that was before she saved me.” Douglas shrugged, starting to regret
asking questions that were out of his character.
“Alright.” Eddie shrugged, apparently not really questioning Douglas' sudden
interest in Power Girl. “She doesn't have any family, she's the last of her
kind and she dropped out of the sky back in '76. As far as friends go, hard to
say. The bulk of her time goes into saving the day or traveling from one crisis
to the next, that doesn't leave much time to form friendship. She's a nomad,
never really sticking around at one place long enough to set root.”
“I see...” Douglas said, letting Eddie's answer sink in. “Guess that's why she
never had a boyfriend either, huh?”
“You could say that.” Eddie agreed, giving off a sniff that suggested that it
was only half of the story. “Officially speaking she's single, always have
been. Plenty of guys have tried all manners of tricks to win her over, but she
gracefully shoots them down every time.”
Eddie got up and walked over to the fridge to help himself with another soda.
He gave Douglas a glance, asking if he'd like another. Douglas made a gesture
with his hand, saying he was good before helping himself with some more chips.
Opening his soda can, Eddie carried on explaining to Douglas.
“Tabloids claim that every now and then she uses escort services to scratch her
itch, though they never have anything solid to back it up with.” He said,
taking a seat next to Douglas in the sofa. “On the flip side, you have guys
like Kevin Spacey that apparently have a girlfriend, but no one knows who she
is.”
“So it's possible that Power Girl have a boyfriend, she just keeps it so
private that no one knows about it?” Douglas asked.
Eddie just shrugged, suggesting that if a simple actor like Kevin Spacey could
be that protective about his personal life, then by all means it should also be
possible for Power Girl. The trick apparently was to find a guy that would keep
such a relationship quiet, which Eddie dismissed as impossible due to the
massive bragging rights you'd get out of it.
***** First Time *****
Chapter Summary
     Douglas loses his virginity to Power Girl after he finds her in great
     emotional distress. Later she admits that she wants to bear his
     child. She confesses that is the reason why she approached him both
     as Power Girl and then later as Karen Starr. She also reveals that
     she'd known about Douglas' lusting after her for some time.
The alarm clock shifted from 07:29 to 07:30 and its single speaker started
blaring out a frustrating car honking sound at steady intervals that kept
rising in volume as Douglas fumbled around with a lazy, wobbly hand trying to
find the precious snooze button. With a satisfying smack, Douglas' palm landed
flat on the long, slim snooze button and a blessed silence sunk down over his
bedroom, the snuggling warmth underneath his quilt felt even more heavenly than
usual. A long minute dragged on with Douglas' mind swaying in and out of half
awake and half asleep before he got out from underneath the covers, groaning
and yawning as he planted both of his feet outside the bed and flat on the
floor.
Outside, behind the bedroom curtains, the spring sun was well on its trek
across the sky, birds exchanging morning greetings with one another before a
swift and angry breeze rustled up the trees and bushes beyond the outer wall of
the Starr manor. With weak, lazy feet Douglas dragged himself to the shower and
while scrubbing down his hair, Douglas took notice that his burned arm from a
few days before was healing up nicely, no thanks to Karen's swift response and
somewhat improvised treatment.
"Power Girl, huh?" Douglas muttered under his breath, stroking what remained of
his injury with one finger.
After finishing the shower and getting dressed, Douglas settled down in the
kitchen for a quick breakfast. Looking at the clock, it was still 07:42, plenty
of time for him to grab something to eat before walking to school. Listening in
on the radio, the weather forecast promised nice temperatures and light clouds
throughout the day. Breakfast for the day was a simple fruit smoothie
consisting of pineapple, some nonfat yogurt, a banana, a few ice cubes and a
good dose of orange juice. Standing by the kitchen counter with the smoothie in
hand, Douglas eyes drifted from one kitchen entrance to the other, tapping his
left foot a little and shifting the weight from one leg to the other with a
restless discomfort.
For the past few days Douglas had been on his own, Karen had taken off by the
time he got back from Eddie's place; she'd left no note, no message, nothing.
The radio shifted from playing music to the first news broadcast of the day;
Scott Muldoon was presenting the news today with a clear, precise and formal
tone of voice. Gulping down the last remains of his smoothie, Douglas' hand
reached for the volume button and gave it a small turn when Mr Muldoon shifted
from China's stock market to the latest word regarding Power Girl. An Italian
arsonist had been apprehended by the authorities much thanks to Power Girl's
testimony after she saved a family of five from their burning home. The twin
girls at age 9 were in critical, yet stable condition while the rest of the
family had escaped with minor to light injuries. Mr Muldoon was never given a
chance to report on the sports as Douglas twisted the volume button to the
point where it snapped over the zero volume point and the radio powered down.
Rinsing the blender bottle under running water, Douglas' hands moved with an
indifferent, almost animatronic fashion while he strained his ears, stealing a
glance at the corner of his eyes from one kitchen entrance to the next. Taking
a quick and sharp breath through his nose, Douglas straightened up and
collected his backpack before heading to the front door. The hallway leading to
the front door stood barren and silent, the sound of the brand new kitchen door
closing rattled almost like a thunderclap right over Douglas' head. Tossing his
backpack over one shoulder, Douglas held on to the backpack strap with one
hand, his fingers coiling around tighter for each step that brought him closer
to the door to the master bedroom. He could hear the beating of his heart
behind his ears, rising both in volume and speed, a single drop of sweat formed
at the edge of his hairline before it started its tickling trek down the side
of his left temple. With an annoyed and fast gesture, Douglas swiped away the
distracting sweat, swallowing hard as the new and improved door to the master
bedroom, with its matching door frame, loomed and swallowed nearly all of his
side vision.
Darting towards the front door as fast as his feet would carry him without
actually running, Douglas pulled the door open, stepped outside and spun fast
on his heel before closing it gently, as if careful not to make a sound.
Letting out a trembling sigh of relief, Douglas fiddled with the key with a
shaking hand before he managed to stick it in and turn it around with a very
satisfying click. Allowing himself a few deep breaths to calm both his
breathing and racing heartbeat, Douglas straightened himself up a little as he
looked over his reflection in the front door before he walked towards his
school. Leaving through the front gate of Starr manor, Douglas feet went on
autopilot as he started threading down the now familiar path to his class; turn
right after leaving the manor, keep going straight ahead through both cross
sections and the school will be on the left hand side right past the trailer
park on the right hand side. Conveniently enough, there was a side entrance
just near the music room, so Douglas didn't have to use the main entrance if he
didn't want to.
Classes went by without incident, lunch in the cafeteria was a rather
unappetizing vegetarian dish that looked like one of the abominations from H.P
Lovecraft's imagination and rather than socializing with his classmates,
Douglas found solace in the school library. There were still a few persistent
students that wanted to be best friends with Douglas, but ever since he learned
about who Karen really was, his reluctance to invite anyone over had gone up
tenfold. A shameless gold digger that wanted to leach of his rich stepmom, or
rather legal guardian, was not someone that Douglas wanted to hang around with
and he was convinced that Karen wouldn't approve either, all things considered.
As the final class for the day ended and Douglas' classmates started packing up
while making plans for the evening, Douglas himself just shifted uncomfortably
in his chair, deliberately taking his time to pack up his note and textbook. As
the students started pouring out of the school building like dutiful little
ants, making merry and playing the occasional prank, Douglas lagged behind,
taking time to read posters and notes posted on the billboard before he
eventually ran out of excuses not to leave without making it look awkward.
Leaving through the exit on the opposite side of the main road, Douglas came
out by the football field. Out in the parking lot, one of the teachers were
giving a student an earful for one reason or another while the local team were
preparing for another training session. The idea that he could stay at school
and do his homework, even self study did cross his mind, yet it was rejected
under the grounds that Karen would come looking for him. Shuddering the thought
out of his mind, Douglas straightened his shoulders and walked back home to
Starr manor.
Starr manor was inherently different the moment Douglas set foot past the front
door, it had a very different feel to it, a feeling that made the hair at the
back of his neck stand straight up. There was no mistaking that sound that came
from further down the hallway, the sound of heavy footsteps climbing down the
stairs from the second floor. The door handle clanked into motion and the door
was swallowed into the wall before a bright green laundry basket peeked out,
half full of neatly folded clothes, held firmly in place by an arm with well
defined muscles. Karen stepped into the hallway, her head crooked to her right
side as she was on her phone, balancing the basket by half raising her leg so
she could shift around to close the door behind her. She wore black knee long
yoga pants that looked like they'd been painted on her legs, a large and loose
plainly white singlet and what looked like a pitch black sports bra underneath,
though all Douglas could see of it were the straps peeking out from underneath
her singlet.
"Uh-huh... yeah, we could do that." Karen talked into her phone, her naked feet
pitter pattering over the tiles as she walked away from Douglas and deeper into
the house. "No, don't be silly. My Russian isn't that bad."
She disappeared into the guest room, still apparently oblivious to Douglas
return from school as far as he could tell. Sighing with relief, Douglas
crossed down the hallway as fast as he could while at the same time remaining
quiet. Just as he rounded the corner of the main hallway, leaving his back
exposed to the open guest room door, his shouldered tensed up a little as he
gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, edging his feet to move just a little
bit faster. Finally closing his bedroom door behind him, Douglas let out a
breath of fresh air as if he'd been under water for fifteen solid minutes,
knees turning into jello, making him slide down along the bedroom door until he
sat on the floor with his legs stretched out before him. Turning his head to
the left, he could still hear Karen's muffled voice talking over the phone. She
sounded... normal, sparkeled with a light friendly tone that allowed for a
quick chuckle now and then. Folding his hands while squeezing the bridge of his
nose with his index fingers, Douglas calmed his breathing before he got up on
his feet and started doing his homework.
"Oh, so you are back home." Karen said, popping her head into Douglas' room as
he was finishing his English essay. "How's it going sweetie? Had a good day at
school?"
"Mmmhmmm." Douglas replied, hunking down over his notes.
"So how does mango ginger salmon sound like for dinner?" She asked, her tone
sounded noteworthy friendlier than when she spoke on the phone.
"Okay, I guess." He mumbled, turning away from Karen as he spoke, pretending to
fish for something in his school bag by his chair.
"And here, this is for you." Karen said with a cheerful tone as she put a black
and green box on Douglas' desk.
"What's this?" Douglas asked, peering over the edge of his desk at the box.
"Your new cellphone." She explained, tapping the box with her finger. "Nothing
super fancy, I figured you wouldn't want one of those billionaires only
models."
"Uh... right." He said, recalling the talk they'd had a few days past. "Thanks,
I guess."
"You're welcome, even if this comes out of your allowance." Karen smiled at him
before she left, presumably to the kitchen. Despite various urban myths, dinner
does not cook itself.
While Douglas was no tech junkie, he did have some interest in gadgets. At
least new gadgets, once they'd been around for a while, they kind of lost their
appeal and blended in with all the other accessories that he used on a day to
day basis. He did however, spend the rest of the time until dinner fiddling
around with his new phone, consulting the manual, taking a few selfies by
mistake and almost blocked his SIM card by reading the wrong code. When Karen
called from the kitchen that dinner was ready, Douglas left his phone behind
for recharging. Steeling himself, Douglas opened the door to the kitchen and
stepped inside where Karen stood squatted down in front of the fridge,
comparing one jar with another. She still hadn't changed out of her yoga pants
and its material was quite clearly under a lot of stress, it left so little to
the imagination that Douglas could practically count the bumps made by the
sewing thread used on Karen's panties.
"Oh darn it." Karen complained, rising from her squat and nudging the fridge
door closed by the tip of her foot. "Both of the sour creams have expired."
Douglas slided down in his chair without a word, hardly making any sound at all
and keeping his eyes focused on his dinner plate while unfolding the napkin
that was wrapped around his flatware. Walking over to the trashcan, Karen held
Douglas in a disapproving sideways glance every step of the way, only taking
her eyes of him for a small second as she stepped on the pedal to open the
trashcan lid. Both the jars of sour cream made heavy thuds into the trashcan
before the lid slammed shut with a dull plastic smack and Karen took her seat
across from Douglas'. The silence that creeped in over the kitchen table was
eerily similar to the one that had been very much present when Douglas had
first arrived her. Karen, while eating silently, did give out a few loud and
slow sigh's that made her chest heave and sink; a motion that caught Douglas'
eyes, even if he only caught glimpses of it at the upper edge of his vision.
"Okay, I'll bite. What?" Karen said finally, dropping her fork down on her
plate, resting her right cheek on a casually formed fist, her planted elbow
making the whole kitchen table rattle uneasily.
"Nothing..." Douglas shrugged, still looking down on his dinner plate.
"Nothing, my ass." She grunted more to herself than to Douglas. "Hey! Look at
me when I'm talking to you." Karen straightened in her seat, smacking her right
palm flat down on the table, rattling the plates and flatware even more.
Jerking up straight in surprise, Douglas eyes darted right to Karen's face
before they inched their way down ever so slightly. The finer science of sports
bras were not something Douglas was familiar with, but if he were to guess it
was a combination of Karen's size and build that made it challenging to find
one that fit as intended. As it were, the pitch black one that she currently
wore did an admirable job of holding her breasts in place, though it was
perhaps a size or two too small for her and made the top of her breasts almost
spill out of it as a result. It took Douglas a small second or two to realize
his mistake and he quickly corrected himself by looking Karen straight in her
mesmerizing clear blue eyes instead. Her eyebrows raised as if asking her
question again; what was up? Karen's expression shifted into a dissatisfied
glare as the seconds ticked by and Douglas' didn't give her an answer.
"Is it school? Is someone bullying you?" She asked.
"No." Douglas retorted as if the idea as absurd. Who'd bully him, Karen Starr's
only family member? Talk about social suicide.
"Homework then? Any subject you're struggling with or a class you're finding
challenging?" Karen asked next, gesturing with her hands as if she was trying
to conjure the truth out of Douglas.
"Karen, I have straight B's across the board." Douglas reminded her, before
adding: "Except in PE, where I have a C minus."
"Stars above." Karen sank back in her chair, a look mixed with disbelief and
defeat colored her face. "You're having problems with a girl, aren't you?"
"Jesus Christ! Where did that come from?!" Douglas protested. "I don't even
have any girl I like."
"Then what Douglas, what is it?" Karen pressed, leaning forward, folding her
arms underneath her chest.
"Like I said, no – thing." He stressed the last word, exaggerating its
pronunciation.
"I'm calling bullshit." Karen pouted, slumping back in her chair before
grabbing her glass of water, pointing her finger at him with the same hand that
held her glass.
"What is it to you anyway?" Douglas shrunk back in his chair, seeing Karen's
pout and raising it with his double pout, teenager edition.
The glass of water shattered in Karen's hand, splashing water over her singlet
and pants while her glaring eyes and pointing finger remained fixed on their
target. Her lips curled into a snarl, flashing angry teeth and it looked like
she'd unload a tsunami of whatever was on her mind, but instead she slowly
closed her eyes and took slow, deep and steady breaths through her nose.
Karen's chest rose and sank with each breath, the soaked singlet now clinging
to the sports bra underneath, a few drops of water resting at the top of one of
her breasts wiggled themselves free before sliding down into the shadow of her
cleavage and out of sight. The wet singlet hugged the curvature of Karen's
breast, revealing a faint little hump poking up against the fabric that could
only be her nipple.
"Because..." Karen started, taking another deep breath. "… I'm your guardian, I
care for you very much and I only want what's best for you, okay?"
She rose from her seat, pushing back her chair with the back of her knees,
making it groan out loud protests as it slid over the kitchen floor. With fast,
busy hands she picked up glass shards that she dumped on her plate, patted down
the table with a fistful of napkins and gathered her plate along with the spent
napkins. Douglas sat motionless in his chair, tracking Karen with his eyes, the
focus of his gaze shifting rapidly between her face and the alluring motion of
her breasts as they bobbed around inside her sports bra. Karen's face still
looked stern as she walked over to the trash can with determined steps before
taking a small percentage of her frustration out on the trash can lid pedal,
making it gape wide open in attention before she dumped her entire plate,
dinner leftovers, glass shards and soaked napkins with a loud crash.
"Be careful on your way out, there may still be shards on the floor." Karen
huffed over her shoulder as she walked out of the kitchen, slamming the door
hard behind her.
Douglas opted to backtrack to his room, fish out his hideously neon green crocs
slippers and resume his dinner in the kitchen. After finishing his dinner, he
did his own dishes as usual and found a broom along with a dustpan, going over
the kitchen floor a few rounds just to make sure he got even those illusive
little shards. There was even a slim shard of glass by the stove that was about
as long as Douglas' thumb, holding it up so he could catch his distorted
reflection on its inward curve, he gave a faint smile.
"Power Girl, huh?" He mumbled to himself before discarding the remaining shards
in the trash.
For the rest of the evening, Douglas retreated to his reading room, loosely
flipping through Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, reading a page here and there
before heading to bed. Karen was not seen or heard of for the rest of the
evening. When morning presented itself the following day, Douglas again ate
breakfast by himself before heading to school. Since it was one of the
cafeteria chief's birthday, today's menu consisted of various types of pizza,
which was an instant hit among the students. Classes after lunch dragged on at
their usual pace, PE class was more of a chore than usual as Douglas' regular
teacher had left for maternity leave and the substitute teacher pushed the
students as a drill sergeant would with a fresh batch of recruits. Thankfully
though, that was the last class of the day, so Douglas could go back home on
wobbly feet as soon he got out of the gym shower.
Starr manor appeared larger and emptier than ever before when Douglas had
barely crossed the front door, the glass in the door frame rattling a little as
it closed behind him. Taking a few deep breaths, Douglas swallowed hard and
started down the seemingly endless hallway, though as he'd just passed the door
to the master bedroom, he froze midstep. In the suffocating silence, Douglas
listened intently to a faint, muffled sound that was gently scraping against
the edge of audible sound. Frowning he half turned and peered over his
shoulder, eyeing the door, all shiny and new before raising his eyebrows in a
hint of bewilderment as he faintly nodded to himself. Backtracking a few steps
Douglas found himself standing face to face with the bedroom door, closing the
distance until he could feel his own breath bouncing off its surface and tickle
his cheeks with gentle and soft brushes of warm air. A half gaping hand reached
out for the door handle, but he paused himself just a few inches away,
retracting his fingers ever so slightly. Taking a deep breath and holding it
while puffing out his chest, Douglas' fingers wrapped themselves around the
door handle and gave it a twist, making the mechanics inside the door crack and
clank before the top hinge gave a little squeal as the door slid inwards a few
inches.
The door crack was so narrow that when Douglas tried to peek inside, the edge
of the door brushed up against his glasses. Although he didn't get to see much
because of the small door crack and the odd angle he was looking into the room,
there was no mistake regarding the sound that had caught his attention earlier.
Karen was crying silent muffled sobs, heaving for air with an uneven breath.
Waiting for a small minute, Douglas grip on the door handle coiled itself into
a death grip trembling with tension before he made an O shape with his lips and
took a few quick mouthfuls of breath before stepping into the bedroom on quiet
feet. Turning his eyes towards the source of the sound, Douglas saw Karen
slumping down on the floor by the end of her bed still in her Power Girl
outfit, though she'd removed her red cape, clutching it in her hands while
burying her face into its fabric as she rested her head on the bed. Ragged sobs
made her shoulder tremble and she let out these high pitched, tormented squeals
as she shook her head furiously from side to side, ruffling up her short blonde
hair.
"K-Karen?" Douglas called out to her in a small, soft voice as he went down on
one knee, timidly reaching for one of her shoulders with his hand.
Karen froze stiff as a block of ice at the sound of his voice, it was as if he
could feel her coldness oozing from her rigid frame with the palm of his hand,
even though he hadn't even touched her yet. She turned her head to face him,
her face an utter mess of tears, lips trembling and bloodshot eyes moist from a
torrent of tears. Karen looked so tiny, so fragile, like an injured and
helpless little bird that could fit in the palm of Douglas' hand. Hollow
squeaks came out from her mouth, incoherent words that escaped all meaning.
Douglas inched a little closer, offering open arms to Karen and after a moment
of hesitation, she folded her strong arms around his slim shoulders, one
clenched fist holding on to her cape for dear life. When the wailing came,
Douglas just acted by his gut feeling; patting the back of her head softly with
one hand while running the palm of his other hand gently up and down her back
where he could feel her trembling breath as she buried her face into his
shoulder to muffle her own cries.
Time appeared to lose all meaning, Douglas simply stayed with Karen until she
calmed down. When she finally pushed herself away from him, her expression was
still somber and deeply troubled. Douglas couldn't help but wonder what could
have happened out there that made Karen break down like that? Rather than
pressing the issue with some tactless question, Douglas sat down on the floor
with Karen, folding his legs in front of him, waiting patiently for whatever
would come next. Sure they had their differences, but Douglas wasn't that
heartless that he'd leave Karen alone to cry in an empty room, though it could
be argued that some people liked to have that kind of space and privacy.
Thankfully Karen wasn't one of those people, or Douglas feared that their
relationship would have deteriorated even further.
"There... uh, there was an accident." Karen sniffed, making a vague hand
gesture in the general direction of north. "Up, up in uh... Finland. I was
heading home after a trip to Russia."
"I was the... the first on the scene." She carried on, her voice cracking. "Car
accident. Young man... he got... uh into the wrong lane and... ohm."
"Hit a semi-trailer truck that... y'know, was going in the opposite direction."
Karen took some deep breaths in an effort to collect her composure, wiping away
a stray tear from her cheek. "So... I... you know, pried up the car, or what
was left of it and..."
Karen's voice cracked, her tone shot up several octaves and the bone chilling
squeals returned. Her breath became more rapid, she gulped and swallowed
mouthfuls of air, then brought the clenched fist that still clung on to her
cape to her mouth, sinking her teeth into it as her eyes squinted out more
tears. Douglas reached out with a timid and hesitant hand, gently stroking the
side of one of her shoulders. Karen's head bobbed up and down with a series of
short, rapid nods, sniffing deeply as if trying to swallow all the snot in her
nose.
"He died Doug... he bled out in my arms." Karen squeaked out, her face beet red
from the crying. "He... he... he looked just like you, just a few years older."
"I beg... I pleaded in 62 different languages that he... shouldn't quit... That
he'd... stay... with me..." Karen's wails came back in full force.
"You don't have to worry Karen, I'm not go..." Douglas started to speak, trying
to come up with some clever, comforting words, but could not finish talking as
Karen sealed his mouth with hers.
Taken aback by the sudden turn of events, Douglas tried to pull back and away
from the salty tasting kiss, though Karen just followed him before she folded
her arms around the back of his neck, pulling him closer. Karen twisted her
head around, her lips never straying far from Douglas', the sides of their
noses brushing against one another as Karen shifted from side to side, stealing
a little taste or two of the inside of his lips with her tongue. Never been
kissed on the mouth in his life, Douglas response was not really that of an
experienced lover. If anything he tried to shut out Karen's tongue, to which
she responded with an annoyed and muffled grunt through her nose. Finally the
initial shock and surprise subsided and Douglas planted one firm hand on the
top of either of Karen's shoulder's and pushed away as hard as he could. Karen
on the other hand, didn't budge and continued to indulge herself with tasting
Douglas.
When the kiss did break off, a silver thread of salvia hung between them for a
brief second before it broke. Karen ran her arms away from Douglas neck and
cupped his in her glove clad hands. Douglas wanted to speak up again, but Karen
put her index finger over his lips, giving him a soft ssshh sound before she
rose to her feet, holding Douglas' hands in hers and pulling him up and tightly
into herself. Sliding one arm under his, she caressed the back of his shoulder
blades and lower back with slow, circular movements, keeping her fingers as
spread out as possible while she bit down on the tip of the glove that covered
her other hand. Once the glove came off, she ran her fingers through Douglas'
hair, smiling affectionately at him.
"When I first saw you, I saw love. And the first time you touched me, I felt
love." Karen said, her soft and affectionate smile widening to an honest grin.
"And after all this time, you're still the one I love."
Douglas could just look at Karen's face like some dumbstruck fool straight out
of a cartoon, complete with the jaw dropping as far down as it would go. Never
had he ever seen her so honest, so transparent before. Always a guard, always
holding back, always a secret; if it wasn't her material wealth, it was her
true identity, if it wasn't that, it was her emotions, her feelings for him.
Still with a clever, sensual smile on her lips, Karen took a step backwards,
then another until the back of her feet hit the edge of the bed and she dived
backwards, pulling Douglas down with her. The mattress bounced while the wood
in the bed creaked as Karen and Douglas rode off the ebbing bonces from the
mattress, her frame cushioning the fall for Douglas. The two of them laid there
quietly for a small minute before Douglas peered quietly up at Karen from
underneath her breasts and after giving him a clever little smile at the corner
of her mouth, Karen shifted her legs a little so that Douglas slipped down and
between them and as a nice little bonus she kicked off her boots.
Sitting up a little, enough to rest her partially arched back on her elbows,
Karen simply couldn't get that clever, beautiful smile wiped of her face. Not
that Douglas was complaining, Karen looked simply stunning, there was an honest
and natural attraction to her that simply shined through her clear blue eyes,
overshadowing the fact that they were still bloodshot from all the crying.
Perhaps it was from knowing that Karen had been so far down and now, she was so
high up on cloud #9 that there was simply no stopping her. She made an empty
kiss into the air, beckoning Douglas to come to her and give her the intimacy
that she'd been longing for. Nervously he pushed himself up on his hands and
knees, inching forward like a new born horse taking its first steps into a
brand new world, clumsily planting one palm flat on Karen's breast. Its warm
and soft texture seeped through between his fingers, Douglas' eyes shot down to
the back of his hand and then back up at Karen with a horrified expression on
his face. Karen just smiled at him and giggled, her laugher merry and
contagious.
Sliding his hand off Karen's breast to its side, Douglas found support on the
mattress below and puckered his lips in a childish effort to kiss her. She
softly shook her head while giggling, but rewarded him with a kiss nonetheless.
Moist sounds of two people tasting each other started to fill the quiet room,
Karen tracing the jawline to Douglas, leading him on with two gentle fingers
for him to go sideways from her lips and down the side of her neck. Douglas
followed suit, his slow warm breath escaping from parted lips as he dotted
Karen's cheek and the underside of her jawline with soft, moist kisses like a
painter gently dabbing a large brush on a painting. Karen gave an approving
moan, running a hand from the back of Douglas neck upwards, through his hair,
giving him a gentle push to guide him down the best path. With Douglas' ear
close to her mouth, Karen saw her chance to give his ear lobe a faint bite,
just barely closing her teeth around it and let it run between them.
Douglas drew a sharp breath and stopped with his kisses. He could feel Karen
pausing as well, each hesitant, feeling the other one out. In the end he pulled
away from Karen's blushed neck and looked her in the face, his eyes serious yet
his face troubled. Karen's blue eyes in returned ran over his face, reading it
carefully as if decoding the meaning and intent behind its expression. She let
out a deep, slow sigh that tickled against Douglas' skin before she smiled and
nodded knowingly. Placing one hand on his shoulder, Karen gave him a gentle
nudge and she sat up straight as Douglas pulled back to give her some space.
Reaching down she unbuckled her belt and tossed it out of the bed, its metal
buckle clinking against the bedroom floor. Pulling back her legs, Karen folded
them gracefully on her left hand side as she rested her weight on her right
arm.
"Uhm... I'm a virgin, so I... uh..." Douglas mumbled with a low, embarrassed
tone.
"It's alright Douglas, don't worry about it." Karen assured him before she gave
the back of her neck a few gentle taps with her fingers. "Undo my suit for me?"
Still crawling around on his hands and knees, Douglas shuffled around and took
a seat behind Karen before he tilted his head and adjusted his glasses a little
as he studied the unlocking mechanism of Power Girl's suit. Karen's slim
fingers had peeled back some extra fabric to reveal what appeared at a glance
to be similar to a zipper, though rather than pulling it down in a straight
line, he had to wiggle and twist it from left to right as if climbing down a
set of stairs. Hearing Douglas grunt a little in frustration as he fiddled with
the mechanism while being careful not to hurt, or at least not bring any
discomfort to Karen made her sniffle a chuckle in the palm of her hand. Once
the neck piece opened up, the rest of the suit opened up simply by gently
pulling the two sides apart, splitting aside like a regular zipper, even if one
could not be seen at the edges of the fabric.
Karen's back looked so much different up close and naked compared to what it
had appeared to Douglas when he first saw her crying by the bed. Well trained,
defined muscles and a few spots as large as Douglas' hand barely glinting with
a thin, thin layer of sweat. Sliding his fingers between the snow white fabric
of the suit and Karen's skin, Douglas spread out his hands, running them with a
soft and slow movement across her shoulder blades, to either side, his thumbs
just narrowly missing her armpits and outer most tip of his fingers felt the
side of Karen's breasts. The soft massage gave Karen shivers and she squirmed a
little Douglas arms, crooking her neck to the side as if to break off the chill
from reaching her head. Retracting his hands back to Karen's shoulder blades,
sliding them down to her lower back, peeling away the suit as he went downwards
and then bending his fingers a little, rushed across over her back, his
fingernails softly scraping her skin before he stopped at the top of her
shoulders.
A surprised gasp escaped Karen's lips before she turned her head and gave
Douglas an affectionate nudge with her cheek as she moaned out a giggle of
approval. Douglas looked back at Karen, his eyes had a confident sparkle to
them and a pleasant looking smile smeared all over his face. His hands started
running sideways off Karen's shoulders, down along every crock and cranny of
her muscular arms. As Douglas had to stretch downwards to reach all the way to
the wrists, he resumed dotting Karen's neckline, shoulder and upper arm with
soft, moist kisses. Tilting her head from side to side, Karen let Douglas keep
showering her with soft kisses at the back and sides of her neck while she used
her hands to wiggle free from the long arms of her suit.
With the suit hanging loosely around her hips, Karen gave Douglas' head a soft
caress as a subtle hint to make him stop with the kisses. She shifted a little
around in her bed, stroking Douglas' cheek with her hand before fishing off his
glasses and neatly folding them on her bedside table. Stealing a deep kiss from
his lips, Karen's hands dived down and her fingers carefully coiled themselves
around the lower edge of his sweater, rolling it upwards as she stole kiss
after kiss from Douglas. Once the sweater came off over his head, Karen bundled
it together like a ball and shot it off outside of the bed much like a
basketball. As it made a muffled landing somewhere on the bedroom floor,
Karen's fingers worked with a gentle patience unbuttoning the buttons on
Douglas' shirt before pulling it aside much like one would pull aside a set of
curtains.
His frame was slim and on the pale side from last years winter, though Karen
simply embraced him, folding her arms around the back of his neck, letting her
hands slip down inside the back of his shirt. Returning the favour, Karen let
her hands peel of Douglas' shirt by sliding it off his shoulders with her hands
stroking his skin. Her kisses had a gentle hint of teeth to them, just as she
worked her way downwards, pulling the shirt along with her, Karen's kisses let
the edges of her teeth bruise faintly against Douglas neck, ear lobe, shoulder
and upper arm. Pulling his hands free from the sleeves of his shirt, Karen
again tossed Douglas' shirt aside before sneaking in another kiss on his mouth.
Holding the kiss in place, Karen's hand found Douglas' and guided it to her
breast. She'd not commented on it, but Douglas' hands were a little on the cold
side. Not that it mattered, it felt good; chillingly relaxing, a nice contrast
to her already heated skin. Unsurprisingly Douglas' other hand didn't waste
much time cupping Karen's other breast, simply holding it gently in place,
faintly testing its weight before settling in with a barely noticeable counter
clockwise massage with his thumb. They continued to exchange kisses, sliding
away from their lips to slide up and down the neckline only to resume tasting
each others lips once more. Karen's breath started to get deeper, the warm air
from her nostrils danced and brushed against Douglas' cheeks, moans and a quick
chuckle slipped through her kisses while her hands undid the belt, button and
zipper of his pants.
Placing two fingers on Douglas' lips to make him stop his seemingly never-
ending shower of kisses, Karen spun her legs around, away from him and raised
them straight towards the celling, lying on the back of her shoulders and neck,
then pulling off her white Power Girl suit before dropping it on the bedroom
floor. Douglas followed suit, standing up on his knees and pulled down his
pants before shifting around so that he could get them off completely. Tucking
a crocked finger inside the elastic band on Douglas' underwear, Karen gave him
a sly smile as she gave the band a few light tugs before letting it go with a
small, yet satisfying smack. Obviously taking the hint, Douglas tucked his
thumbs inside his underwear and slid them off, though it was clear on his face
that he was getting very self-conscious about his body at this point.
Karen lied down on her side, patted the mattress beside her and as Douglas lied
down next to her, she pulled him into a comfortable snuggle, both letting their
hands run over the other, exploring each other's bodies through delicate
touches and soft brushes. As Douglas' fingers started to brush up against
Karen's womanhood, she tensed up and folder her fingers around his wrist,
steering him towards her sensitive spots. He squinted his eyes at her face,
trying to see clearer if she was in fact enjoying his touch, though as soon as
he touch a good spot Karen moaned and gritted her teeth as if using them like
prison bars to keep a low throat groan back. Exploring Karen's vagina with his
fingers, Douglas felt moisture building up in his hand, initially dismissing it
as simple palm sweat, because yes it was rather warm between her thighs, it
took a good minute before a rather distinguishable smell that started to
override the smell of sweat that he realized what the moisture really was.
Tensing up and groaning, Karen pushed Douglas away and pulled away his hand.
Now with a little distance between his and Karen's face, he noticed that she
was blushing, flustered and her hair was moist with sweat. Smiling and
giggling, Karen rested on her elbow, still lying on her side. Alternating
between her fingers, she drew several different lines of sweat across Douglas'
chest, stomach, doing a little circle around his bellybutton and let all four
fingers spread out as they slid through his pubes. Using her wrist, Karen's
hand coiled around, carefully avoiding the grand price and instead settled with
giving his testicles a series of light tapping's with her fingers, as if she
was drumming on a table. Happy with Douglas' squirming and wiggling around in
the bed as a response, Karen smiled before she raised on leg and placed it over
Douglas' legs, then rolled up and saddled him.
"Just relax, I'll guide you through round one." Karen smiled, reaching down to
the base of Douglas' manhood and adjusted it a little before lowering her hips
a precious few inches.
"Holy...!" Douglas reached for the bedsheets, warm and damp with their sweat,
his hands curling up to trembling fists that held on for dear life.
"Language..." Karen teased with that beautiful, honest smile of hers as she
rested her hands against her lower back and slowly slid further and further
down.
A warm, moist and soft embrace surrounded Douglas' manhood and whenever he
peeked up over his chest, he could clearly see himself inside Karen and looking
further up he could see her in all her naked glory. Not that he had much to
compare it to, but this sensation was easily off the goddamn charts. There were
no charts that could ever begin to comprehend, let alone measure this feeling
he felt right now. Taking sharp, rapid breaths he tried as best he could to
stand on the breaks of his God given gut instinct; blow his load. Karen's hips
had barely done one tenth of a counter clock swing when Douglas lost what
little control he had and fired off everything he had, the feeling made Karen
bite her lower lip as she arched her back, pressing her breasts forward and up.
Lost in her own little moment, Karen was brought back down to Earth and a sound
that came across as horrible in her ears; crying. Looking down at Douglas as he
laid flat on his back, his face hid behind the back of his hand, tears
streaming down his cheeks, intermixing with his sweat. Terrified, Karen pulled
her weight on her knees as she went down on all fours, bring her own face close
to Douglas, trying to peel aside his hand.
"Douglas, honey, what's the matter?" She asked, a worried tone to her voice
that flared up as Douglas actually slapped her hand. "Are you hurt, Doug? Look
at me. Douglas? Look at me!"
Karen's temper flared up as she grabbed both of Douglas' wrist and pulled them
aside so they were face to face, mere inches apart. She looked at his face
intensely, the blue irises in her eyes glowing, then up and down his chest,
arms and wrists, before looking downward towards his pelvis. A sigh of relief
sounded from her parted lips, letting go of Douglas' wrists before she
unsaddled him and laid down carefully by his side, holding her head up with her
right hand. With her free hand, she let the tip of her fingers gently brush up
against the small patch of chest hair that Douglas had while patiently waiting
for him to calm down. At least there was comfort knowing that she had not
unintentionally hurt him. Over time, Douglas sobs grew more and more apart, yet
he wouldn't face her as he started talking.
"I messed up, didn't I?" He said, sniffing and half tempted to turn his full
back to Karen.
"Now what gave you that idea?" Karen frowned, though she did have her
suspicions.
"I... I... didn't... ugh..." Douglas struggled with the words, swallowing.
"…last... very long."
"Oh Doug..." Karen sighed, poking the back of his head with her finger. "THAT
should be the least of your worries."
"But, but..." Douglas started to protest, even trying to swat away Karen's
poking finger.
"Things like that comes with practice." Karen assured him, careful to avoid his
swatting hand. "Besides, I didn't do it because I wanted to get off." She
added, getting out of bed.
"You didn't?" Douglas asked with a puzzled expression on his face, half turning
around, looking over his shoulder.
"Doug, if I want to get off, I use Mr buzzer in the bedside table drawer."
Karen stated in a matter of fact tone of voice as she swiped her vagina clean
with some paper tissue she had in the bedside table drawer.
"Then why...?" Douglas puzzled expression shifted into a more flabbergasted
one.
"We'll cover that in the shower." Karen said firmly, pointing a finger in the
direction of the bathroom. "Also you should go to the bathroom."
Finding his underwear on the floor, Douglas quickly put them back on before he
followed after Karen who paraded down the main hallway without wearing a single
thread, just holding a small ball of used paper tissue in one hand. The chills
started to set in to Douglas, even if he was still wearing his socks the tiles
in the hallway felt like they were made of ice and he cast anxious glances over
his shoulder and down at the glass front door. Hunching a little over in an
effort to appear smaller and to keep warm, Douglas picked up his pace and half
ran five-six steps to catch up to Karen, who'd already reached the guestroom
door. The master bathroom was not all that different from the one that Douglas
had, the main difference would be the white tiles that decorated the walls that
was tastefully broken off by a single row of tiles with a blue flowery pattern
on it, which was around the height of the door handle. In the left corner stood
the shower cabinet, on the wall just next to it was a plain white door along
with a massive wall mounted mirror and the bathroom counter, while the toilet
sat in the corner opposite of the shower cabinet.
"Oh right... we didn't use towels, did we?" Karen asked, standing with one foot
inside the shower. "See if you can pee a little, I'll get the sheets."
"Uh... why would I do that?" Douglas asked, turning around after Karen.
"Urinary tract infection, you don't want it." Karen called over her shoulder as
she left back to the master bedroom.
Being up to his eyeballs in uncharted territory, Douglas figured that he'd be
better off if he'd heed Karen's advice as it was painfully obvious she had at
the very least some idea of what she was doing. Plumping down on the toilet
seat, Douglas rested his chin on his right hand as he sat there with his
underwear around his ankles. The sounds of Karen stomping up and down the
stairway to the second floor echoed through the walls before he could faintly
hear the slamming and clacking of the washing machine door, then the gurgling
sound of the water pipes before Karen walked back down to the ground floor and
returned to the bathroom. Her whole body was coated in a layer of wet sweat,
making the highlights of her curves glint in the bathroom lights while she
stretched out one arm high over her head to get rid of some fatigue perhaps?
"Mm? Done?" Karen asked, giving Douglas a small glance as she tried for a
second time to enter the shower.
"Uh... yeah, just a small stream though." He sheepishly admitted, wiping off,
flushing and pulling up his underwear in a hurry.
"Good enough, now hurry up and join me." Karen said, motioning him over. "The
last thing you'll need now is catching a cold."
Shyly Douglas stepped into the shower with Karen, it was a little on the tight
side with two people in it, especially when one of them were as large as Karen,
but it became apparent that they weren't going for a full scrub down. Rather
Karen seemed to be more into a quick wash off and light shampooing of her hair.
Standing under the shower head as it rained down comfortably warm water, the
two did a light little dance inside the cabinet as they reached for the shampoo
and tired to get the water to wash the tricky corners of their bodies. More
than once their bodies bumped and brushed into one another, as if the visual
stimuli of Karen's naked, trained and well curved body wasn't enough. It didn't
take long before Douglas' member rose to attention yet again, though Karen
didn't seem to mind or care. If anything she became a little more mindful with
her legs as not to brush up against it.
"Okay, I can't think of any better way to put this, so I'll just ask straight
up." Douglas said, wiping water out of his face as he looked up at Karen. "What
was that?"
"Sex." Karen replied bluntly with a perfectly straight face as if it was the
most obvious thing in the world.
"Ah come on Karen!" Douglas pouted. "You know what I mean."
"Yes I do." She grinned at him a toothy grin, rubbing her hands through his
hair as if scrubbing it thoroughly. "I just love teasing you."
Rinsing out the last bit of shampoo, Karen turned of the water, making the
bathroom fall silent save the dripping from the shower head and the water
running down the shower drain. Her face became serious, a hand pulled her hair
backwards and away from her face while she seemed to carefully weigh her words.
Opening the cabinet door she stepped out and found herself a towel that she
tossed to Douglas before she closed the door again, the fogged and wet glass
reducing her frame to a skin coloured silhouette. Finding a towel for herself,
Karen buried her face in it, running it over her head, drying her hair and then
folding it around her chest. Douglas also dried himself down, though he was
more thorough and after wiping down nearly every nook and cranny, the towel got
folded around his hips and he stepped out of the shower.
"You see, the thing is Douglas..." Karen started, walking around in the
bathroom before looking at her own blurry reflection in the fogged up mirror.
"I... I... uh... I want to have a child, your child to be specific."
"Come again?" Douglas felt dizzy just hearing Karen's reasoning.
"Child, baby, kid, pregnant, toddler, birth, the whole nine yards." Karen said,
swiping the mirror partially clean from fog, eyeing Douglas' reflection in the
clean swipe. "I want it and I want it to be yours."
"Oh-kay..." Douglas said, nodding very slowly before he closed the toilet seat
and sat down. "W-where did this come from?"
"Since I first met you, back at the river, during the storm." Karen admitted in
a small voice, lowering her head. "Well, that's not entirely true. I... felt
something back then when I held you in my arms and over time as I kept meeting
you, talking to you, I... this feeling kind of grew or bloomed or whatever into
wanting to be the mother of your child."
"Hang on there." Douglas objected, taking a small pause to gather is thoughts.
"You've been going after me because of that? Both as Power..."
"Please don't be mad Douglas." Karen whimpered out with a small voice. "I
didn't mean or plan it to play out like this, but, but... I didn't. Honest."
"Karen..." Douglas leaned forward in his seat, resting his elbows on his knees
and folded his hands in front of him. "I'm not mad, just confused. Help me
understand, okay?"
"Yeah, sure." She sniffed, her voice sounded a little cracked as if she'd
swallowed her tears. "I was going to... originally just watch you, wait a few
years and then date you as Karen Starr."
Turning around, Karen rested her butt against the edge of the bathroom counter
and folded her arms around her as if trying to keep a chill away. Her face was
still serious or perhaps vulnerable was a better word for it. Karen's blonde
bob of hair was a scattered, still moist mess on the top of her head, her
clear, mesmerizing blue eyes partially covered by the angle of her head and a
few loose strains of hair. The egg white towel outlined the overall curvature
of her figure like a snug and fluffy evening dress that went just past her
knees, her large breasts resting on top of her arms, slightly bulging over the
top of the towel.
"Then... your mother died. And... I was worried, scared even that you'd
disappear into the system or something to that effect so..." Karen explained,
reaching with one hand to scratch the side of her head. "I stepped up as your
legal guardian and... still planned to wait a few years, then date, then have a
baby."
Planting one palm on her forehead, Karen smeared it down over her face before
it stopped over her mouth. She closed her eyes and gently shook her head from
side to side a few times. From behind her hand a smile started to creek past
her fingers and Karen took a deep sigh. In for a penny, in for a pound, right?
Straightening her shoulders a little, Karen raised her chin and looked Douglas
straight in the eye.
"With the grease fire things kind of went to shit." She admitted with a tilt of
her head. "And last but not least... with your lookalike bleeding out in my
arms in Finland, my original plan went to hell in a fruit basket."
"And... you're fine with me?" Douglas asked after a long minute of silence.
"I'm not just fine with you Douglas." Karen answered. "It HAS to be you. I
don't spread my legs casually. Besides knowing that you were into me, or rather
Power Girl, was a huge load of my chest to be honest."
"Wait, you knew?" Douglas asked flustered, his face turning beet red.
"Doug, you're a teenage boy who live under the same roof as a woman that can
hear car keys rattle half across town." Karen reminded him. "Of course I knew,
though as I said, I don't mind. Thank you for the compliment, if nothing else."
"Okay... so like, what now?" Douglas asked, rising to his feet when all of the
sudden the colour drained from his face. "Oh my God, we didn't use protection."
"No we didn't. And we're not going to either." Karen told him rather firmly,
starting towards the bathroom door. "It was quite the load, but I'd be
surprised if we get it right on the first try."
"Karen!" Douglas protested, embarrassed enough to light his ears on fire.
"What? You probably haven't busted a nut in days, have you Doug?" Karen teased,
poking the side of his head. "Too self-conscious to do it at home, eh? Well I
suppose you could do a quickie at the school bathroom..."
"Seriously though, what now?" Douglas put his hand over Karen's as she turned
the door handle, looking up at her face.
"Will you be the father of my children, Douglas?" Karen asked back, sounding
more serious than he'd ever heard her before.
"I suppose..." He replied hesitantly, looking away from Karen's serious eyes.
"You did save my life, took me in after mom died and you're probably very
lonely, right?"
Karen slipped a bent finger under Douglas' chin and raised it up a little so
she could kiss him. It was a sweet, light kiss on the lips intertwined by the
smell of Karen's shampoo. She broke of the kiss, sniffing a little and swiped
away a stray tear from her cheek.
"Thank you Douglas. I never hoped you'd understand me so well, but you do." She
smiled at him, eyes wet with tears. "You really do."
***** Living the Dream *****
Chapter Summary
     Douglas settles in as Power Girl's lover as they make a continuous
     effort to have a child together. He finds it disheartening that he
     cannot bring Power Girl to orgasm, even if she assures him it is not
     as important as getting pregnant. Kris and Eddie start to notice
     subtle changes in Douglas.
Comfortably warm water washed out the shampoo from Douglas hair as the
hairdresser’s fingers gave his scalp a firm massage, making his head bob around
on the edge of the sink. The hair saloon was a blurry mess to Douglas and it
would stay like that, at least until he put his glasses back on. In the chair
just right of him, sat Karen going through a similar treatment, her blonde hair
covered in a creamy cloud of soap. Going to the hairdresser to get a wash and
cut was not really the first thing that came to Douglas’ mind when going out on
a date. Sure, he could agree that it was a vital part of the preparations for a
date, but as a part of the date itself?
“Right this way sir,” the hairdresser gestured towards a chair standing in
front of a tall, slim wall mounted mirror after she was done drying Douglas’
hair with a towel.
The chair itself didn’t come into focus until Douglas was standing right next
to it and as soon as he was seated, he put his glasses on the desk in front of
him before the hairdresser folded a wine white cape around Douglas’ neck. As he
settled in his seat, Douglas caught the blurry outline of Karen’s frame as she
took her seat next to him, before his hairdresser gently made him face straight
ahead. Karen sounded like she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat, the leather
in her chair shifting and sighing under her movements.
“Any special requests ma’am?” Karen’s hairdresser asked, his tone polite and
soft to the ear.
“Just trim the top and neck please,” she said still fidgeting a little in her
seat, “and try not to give me Dumbo ears.”
Douglas let a faint chuckle get the better of him and he could almost instantly
feel the heat of Karen’s disapproving frown on his cheek. He just shrugged a
little as if silently justifying to Karen that it was a funny image that had
creeped into his head. The two sat still for several long minutes, the snipping
of scissors and low light pop tunes filling the small hair salon. Still unable
to get the mental image out of his head, Douglas cast Karen a sideways glance
before he said “Dumbo ears?”
“South Africa, ’86,” Karen grumbled, her annoyance kept at a low simmer, “she
was unusually eager and quick with those scissors.”
“Right,” Douglas nodded a little before his hairdresser held his head still.
After paying for the haircut the duo went for a casual stroll, heading in the
general direction of stareplex, the local cinema. Douglas found himself tagging
about a step behind Karen, his eyes almost automatically drawn to the bookstore
across the street before a reflection in the paramedics store made him aware of
the height difference between him and Karen. As they arrived at the cinema,
Douglas got to see a new side of Karen.
“Aww yes, they weren’t just jerking my chain,” she said, her face lit up with
excitement.
“What are we watching?” Douglas asked, only mildly interested as he subscribed
to the idea that the book was generally better than the movie adaptation.
“A modern classic,” Karen said enthusiastically, pointing at the poster before
she turned her attention to the clerk, “two please.”
“Predators? We’re watching a monster flick?” Douglas did his best to hold back
a groan.
“Now, now Douglas,” she told him as she wiggled a finger at him, “don’t dismiss
it so easily just because it isn’t the original.”
Douglas found himself at a loss for words as he watched Karen buzz around the
cinema like a Duracell bunny powered by a nuclear reactor, scooping up soda,
snacks and the biggest bucket of popcorn they had on the menu. Granted he
didn’t care much for movies in general, let alone the ones whose main selling
point was cheap gore, but there was no denying that Karen’s bubbling enthusiasm
did rub off on him. Douglas might not enjoy the movie, but by the looks of
things he’ll get more than enough entertainment watching Karen in a very
different element.
After the movie, which didn’t deliver as promised as far as Douglas was
concerned, Karen had worked up quite the appetite. As a result, she promptly
declared that they should head over to the nearby buffet place without delay,
while Douglas tried to understand how Karen could still be hungry after all
that snack, soda and popcorn. The walk over to the buffet was littered with
Karen’s Arnold impressions, covering a wide range of cheesy quotes from the
original Predator movie. ‘Get to da choppa’ was of course mandatory and while
Karen managed to deliver the line with an impressive accent, she thankfully
didn’t give it volume to match.
“Yes, I’d like,” Karen started telling the waiter her order, running her finger
down along the menu, “the large spare ribs, with baked potatoes aaand cheese-
no bacon burger, please.”
“And you, sir?” the waiter asked, jotting down Karen’s order.
“I’d like the pulled pork sandwich, please,” Douglas replied, pointing out on
the menu that he wanted the smaller option.
“So I’ve been wondering about something,” Douglas said, leaning in over the
table, “just how does the haircut work?”
Karen rested one elbow on the table, peering over her shoulder as if making
sure the coast was clear, before her words came out soft and hushed, “You
remember that morning jog I took today?” Douglas nodded, inching closer,
“Drained my power reserves.”
“From just a jog?” Douglas looked skeptical, then again what did he know about
Kryptonian physiology?
“No silly,” Karen tossed a napkin at his face, “I blasted the Ohio River with
my heat vision, full throttle. Without my power reserves, I’m as ‘fragile’ as a
human of my size and build. No offense.”
“Oh…” Douglas said, letting it sink in. “Isn’t that risky? I mean, if someone
saw you…”
“They’d see Power Girl doing some weird stuff at 5 o’clock in the morning
before she walked off into the trees.” Karen said, leaning back in her seat.
“Then I change back to a more suitable attire and jog back home.”
“You don’t jog both ways?” he asked.
“When you go at 600 mph, you don’t get much of a jog, not for that kind of
distance anyway,” she told him, giving the waiter a polite smile as the dishes
were put on their table.
After Karen was done wolfing down her meal and helping herself with a large
banana split for desert, they did some casual window shopping on their way back
home. Apparently whenever she was low on power, Karen’s appetite shot through
the roof and settled somewhere in low orbit around Jupiter. Thankfully it
didn’t happen that often, only once every two months or so. Basically whenever
Karen felt the need to fresh herself up, the cookie monster as she called it,
woke from its slumber.
“So then, for the sake of good manners Kris decided to-” Douglas was retelling
a story from his junior high school days, when he noticed that Karen had gotten
silent and distant. “Karen?”
“Just curious, are you tired?” she asked.
“No, not really,” Douglas admitted, “the walk back from the buffet was
refreshing.”
“Good,” she smiled before she walked up to him and cupped his chin in her
hands, kissing him deeply.
“Uh, you sure don’t beat around the bush, do you?” Douglas said, licking his
lips when the kiss finally broke off.
“Am I too pushy? We don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know?” she said,
her voice wrapped in a veil of concern.
“I wouldn’t say pushy,” Douglas out his hand on hers, “direct is a better word,
though I don’t mind. We were on a date after all.”
The two of them, holding hands, retreated to the guest room as if making an
unconscious compromise between their own bedrooms at opposite ends of the
mansion. Karen, walking one step ahead of Douglas, guided him towards the
double bed, holding his hand and tugging him along. Taking a seat on the bed,
they exchanged kisses while letting their fingers gently bruise against each
others faces. Soft, wet kisses gradually escalated to longer, deeper taste
samples and their hands started gliding away from their faces, chasing along
the curves of their bodies instead.
She took a pause, taking deep breaths to calm herself and tasting her lips.
Douglas’ hands ran over her breasts and down to the edge of her turtleneck
jumper. With a titled head and a sly smile, Karen raised her arms over her head
and he pulled it off her. She inched further into the bed and laid down on her
back, beckoning Douglas to her. He removed his glasses, putting them aside on
the bed side table before he scooted over by her side. Turning his attention to
the button and zipper on her jeans, Douglas flipped over her jersey top and
blew a loud raspberry on her naked stomach.
Karen squirmed and giggled, jokingly slapping him at the top of his head to
make him stop. Her rich laughter, masked behind the bangs of her hair only
encouraged him further. With her thighs bending towards her pelvis, Douglas
found it to be a real struggle to undo the button on her jeans. Finally cutting
Karen some slack, he rested his head on her belly, glancing up underneath her
jersey. Her breasts were hidden behind the plain black cups of her bra, while
her partially undone jeans revealed skin colored half-string briefs.
He felt one of Karen’s fingers tracing the back of his leg, making a small ice
skating dance on one of his butt cheeks. She slipped her hand up underneath his
sweater, the tip of her fingers sailing upwards before Karen bent them like
talons, scraping their way down again. Douglas shifted around on the bed and
focused his attention on Karen’s jeans, inching them down her lovely legs.
Starting on her knee, he placed soft, moist kisses as he spiraled down towards
the golden valley hidden behind a thin veil of fabric.
Poking the fabric with the tip of his nose, Douglas could hear Karen shift
around in the bed as his breath brushed against her entrance. Sliding the
fabric aside, he held it in place while stroking the side of her thigh with a
slow, steady and soft touch – stopping at the edge of her lips, before
retracting several inches. All along, his warm breath kept washing over like
steady waves of a soothing breeze.
As the smell of sweat started to tickle his nostrils, Douglas pulled back and
put his hands on Karen’s underwear, but froze as she put her hands on top of
his. She looked up at him, her eyes rich with words that didn’t need any sound
to be spoken and he was drawn to them. Sliding between her bent legs, Douglas
leaned forward and tasted Karen’s inviting lips deeply as time started to lose
its usual steady flow.
Karen’s hands got busy undoing Douglas’ pants, impatient and annoyed hands
yanked his belt out of the way. Her breath was deeper, uneven and she took
gasps of air whenever there was a break in the kissing. Douglas member stood up
like a tent pole in his underwear, straining the fabric and poking the
underside of the elastic band. An elegant maneuver later and Karen let it
spring free from its confinement, bobbing up and down enthusiastically.
Coiling her fingers gently around Douglas’ member, Karen used her free hand to
push her own underwear clear, retorting to some mild leg acrobatics to get it
fully out of the way. Tactfully she followed through with her leg acrobatics
and folded one leg around his lower back, pushing him closer while at the same
time guiding him inside. The warm and moist embrace of Karen’s inside felt
different this time around, though Douglas couldn’t tell whether this was
because Karen was more vulnerable now or because he was at the very least a
little bit more experienced than last time.
There was an impatient nudging from Karen’s hips as they rose to meet Douglas’
and he let out a soft groan as he curled his toes in an effort not to shoot off
right out the gate. Karen’s second leg, with her underwear dangling around just
above her knee, completed his entrapment and she started to move underneath
him. Determined not to let it end like last time, Douglas figured his best bet
was to somehow take charge of the situation and pace himself.
Stabilizing his position over Karen he started to return her thrusts, almost
immediately felt that she eased up on her legs pushing against his lower back.
Resting his elbows, Douglas brushed the hair away from Karen’s face, her left
eye masked behind a colored contact lens. With his hands free, Douglas cupped
Karen’s breasts, fondling them with affection and care. Despite his best effort
to pace himself and find a rhythm he could endure for the long term, Douglas
felt the pressure building inside him and it didn’t take long before he
released it all inside Karen.
As the strength drained out of him, Douglas sunk down, resting his head on
Karen’s chest. Soothingly she covered her arms around him, running her fingers
through the back of his hair. For the longest time, the only sound in the room
was their breathing; slowly calming from an aroused panting to a comfortable,
almost sleep like breathing. Douglas wished he was a million miles away from
the bed, the room, the manor and most of all, Karen.
“I’m-” he said, lifting himself up from Karen, “-sorry.”
“About what?”
“I- mean, my-” Douglas pulled back and rolled over to his side, “I’m rather
pathetic, aren’t I?”
“Oh, Doug, Doug, Doug,” Karen sighed, then sat up, “You don’t have to worry
about it, okay? Hey, it’s okay.”
“But isn’t it this supposed to be enjoyable for both of us?”
“Yeeah,” she agreed, dragging her word, “and who says I’m not enjoying it?”
“You do?”
“Doug, sweetie… I share the most-” she struggled to find the words, “intimate
act two people can with you, and you alone.”
“Yeah, but-”
“No, no more buts,” she said, poking his cheek with her finger, “You’ve spent
all buts for today. If it makes you feel any better, I am a tough customer. I
can count the guys that had gotten me off on one hand and still have fingers to
spare.”
“Is your Mr. Buzzer on that list?”
“Even if it is, it doesn’t matter,” she said leaning in for a kiss, “because
it’s not you.”
After a refreshing shower, Karen sorted out the bed sheets, since they yet
again had forgotten about the towels. Douglas took his time in the shower,
still feeling like he'd somehow failed to do his part. Karen had stressed that
they should take their time and it would work out as they got more familiar
with one another. Even if, however unlikely, they weren't a perfect match in
bed, as long as she got pregnant, Karen would be content. As far as she was
concerned, that took priority over all else.
"Douglas!" Karen called from upstairs, "Phone call for you."
Climbing the stairs to the second floor, Douglas found Karen in her office
standing by the desk, holding out the phone handle to him. As he picked up the
phone, Karen turned her attention back to her laptop which showed an Excel
spreadsheet so complex it looked like a condensed version of the theory of
everything.
"Pam's birthday? Oh... I- I totally forgot about that," Douglas said.
Kris who was on the other end, sounded surprised as she said, "Really? You're
usually the one that reminds us. Anyways, you're coming?"
"Uh..." he glanced over at Karen, "yeah, I guess so. Just let me check."
"What is it Doug?" Karen didn't look up from her spreadsheet.
"I was wondering if you could give me a lift to Eddie's tomorrow." Douglas
said, covering the speaking end of the phone with his hand, "It's his little
sister's birthday."
"A bit short notice, but we'll work something out," she said, jotting in some
new values into her computer.
"Yeah, Kris? I'll be over no problem, Karen will give me a lift," he said as he
jotted down the time when the party would start.
Just before noon the following day, Douglas got ready for the party while still
struggling to wrap his head around what Karen had meant by ‘work something
out.’ Since the invitation came on such short notice, Karen had flown over to
California, bought Rihanna's latest album and got her to sign it. All this
because Douglas blurted out that Pam was a fan of Rihanna and it was the first
thing that came to his mind as far as present went. With CD neatly wrapped up
and one final check in the mirror to make sure that his bow-tie was straight,
Douglas headed outside.
“All set?” Karen asked, leaning against a Range Rover parked in the driveway.
“Another car? What about th-“
Holding up one hand in protest, Karen said, “I know, I know. Even when fully
assembled it still won’t start. Just give it a rest, all right?”
“Sure, whatever you say,” Douglas couldn’t help but smile.
Pam’s party was not really Douglas scene, though it was a nice change of
scenery if nothing else. Eddie’s house was a block away from Douglas’ old home
and was a nice looking two story brick house with a separate garage. First
floor consisted of an open living room and kitchen solution, along with a small
bathroom and a washing room just next to the kitchen. The second floor sported
three bedrooms and two bathrooms. It was a very nice fit for a family of four,
though as of late Pam had been starting making an issue of sharing bathroom
with her older brother.
Douglas’ gift to Pam was a massive success, even if she already had a copy of
the album. Kris and her band mates played some cover songs in the back yard,
while Eddie didn’t get a breather until after the pizzas arrived. Twelve and
thirteen year old girls can get very nagging, especially when they travel in
packs. Not that he seemed to mind, it was after all Pam’s big day. As Pam and
her friends danced and had a good time to the band’s live performance, Douglas
and Eddie retreated to slowly start doing the dishes. At least that was the
official reasoning, though Douglas suspected that Eddie had his fill and then
some for Rihanna cover songs.
“So everything in the dishwasher is dirty?” Douglas asked, rinsing another
plate.
“Uh, yeah,” Eddie struggled with the fifth cardboard pizza box, getting it to
fit to the trash, “Just fill it up and I’ll start it up.”
“So Doug, how’re things on your end?” Eddie said.
Shrugging, Douglas said “Pretty much the same old really. Anything exciting
happening in your life?”
“Well, Kris is up in arms to hit the road with her band mates,” he said wiping
his hands with a napkin, “though the rest of the band are kinda dragging their
feet, so there’s tension in the air.”
“Well that doesn’t sound nice. Think there will be a bolt of lightning anytime
soon?”
“Pfft, more like a full on thunderstorm.”
Just as Douglas put away the last glass, Kris came into the kitchen. She went
straight for the fridge and helped herself to a soda, more or less chugging it
down in one go. Douglas and Eddie just exchanged glances before Eddie carefully
tip toed out of the kitchen to put away the trash. A few of Kris’ band mates
came in and asked for directions to the bathroom and it was clear from their
interaction that it was not all sunshine and rainbows.
“So… you’re gonna hit the road, Kris?” Douglas said, going through the various
closets in the kitchen, hoping to find the soap for the dishwasher.
Kris sighed, “Oh God, that’s right. You’ve been out of the loop.”
“Eddie gave me the basics, if you don’t want to talk about it-”
“Sometimes I wish Eddie would just shut up.”
Douglas bit his lower lip, “We’re just catching up Kris, I’m sure he didn’t
mean anything by it.”
Frowning and crossing her arms over her chest, Kris said, “Speaking of catching
up, you seem different.”
“I do?”
“Yeah, I mean… kinda hard to put my finger on it, but you’re like- sort of
whatever.”
“What are you getting at Kris?”
The back door opened and Eddie came back in. A small moment later, Kris’ band
mates came back from the bathroom and for a short minute there was a lot of
traffic in the kitchen. Douglas caught his attention and gestured towards the
dishwasher, prompting Eddie to find the soap and starting the right dishwashing
program. As the machine started slushing around, Eddie gauged the mood of the
room, his eyes shifting from Douglas and back to Kris. An awkward silent minute
slithered by like an overfed anaconda before Kris broke it up.
“Say Eddie,” she nudged her head towards Douglas, “notice anything different
with Douglas?”
Frowning, Eddie looked over at Douglas, “Not really. I mean, him and Ms. Starr
looked real close when she dropped him off, but I guess that’s natural after
getting used to each other, right?”
“Is that so?” Kris raised an eyebrow in interest, eyeing Douglas.
“Yeah, well- what did you expect?” Douglas straightened his shoulders. “We live
together, Karen’s the closest thing I have to family now. Of course we’ll grow
close.”
Kris flipped out a thumbs up, her grin as wide as it was toothy as she said,
“Good on ya sport. That’s gotta be one of the few times I’ve seen you stand
your ground.”
“Yeah dude, good going,” Eddie chimed in, pulling his arm over Douglas’ neck,
“looks like living with Ms. Starr has finally given you a pair of nuts of your
own.”
“Yeah, before you know it I’ll be banging Power Girl,” Douglas bit down on his
lower lip as soon as the last word dashed out from his tongue, mentally kicking
himself.
Eddie and Kris on the other hand was so taken aback that they just let their
faces be wide and long with amazement. Douglas, the dull and meek little
bookworm talking about the ladies like any respectable teenager should. Even
Kris, who’d normally be quick to gun down such far fetch fantasies with
bleeding sarcasm, was at a loss for words. She just quietly mouthed an amazed
‘holy shit’ before raising her hands and walking out of the kitchen.
“God DAMN, dude!” Eddie proceeded to give Douglas a real nuggie. “What the hell
is Ms. Starr putting in your cereal bro? Damn, that’s some plutonium grade
balls talk if I ever heard it.”
Wrestling free from Eddie’s hold, Douglas straightened his glasses, “It’s the
soda Eddie, sugar rush.”
“Hey, whatever you say bro, whatever you say,” Eddie gave him a playful punch
to the shoulder, “Just don’t let your dreams be only dreams, y’know?”
A few hours later and the party came to an end. Pam’s friends got picked up by
their parents, except for the two that had sleepover arrangements while Kris
and her band mates packed their gear back into their van and drove off. Eddie
stalled for going back into the house and waited out in the driveway with
Douglas for Karen to arrive. As the spring sun set in the west, all that
remained of the day was a thin orange streak just over the horizon that faded
into a thin pale blue before the dark navy blue sky swallowed the heavens.
Douglas looked up at the sky, tracking an airplane high up there and noticed
that the first stars started blinked into the coming night. It was a tranquil
moment, until Pam scared off the neighbor’s dog with ‘Pon De Replay’ on volume
level 9000. Fun while it lasted, even if it was just a brief 5 seconds before
Eddie’s dad called out from downstairs at the top of his lounges. Pam’s special
day had indeed come to an end.
Seeing Karen’s car rounding the corner, Eddie offered his hand as a fist bump,
“Sleep tight bro.”
“Yeah,” Douglas returned the bump, “don’t stay up all night browsing Power Girl
YouTube videos, alright?”
“Bitch please, you’re not my mom. Besides, today is fappy Friday.”
With a much clearer image than he ever wanted in his head, Douglas headed for
the car. On the drive back home, Karen and Douglas gave each other a summary of
how their respective days had gone. Douglas started by confirming that the
present was indeed a massive, near unprecedented success and that consequently
Pam was officially in debt to her until the end of eternity. Then there was a
quick recap of Kris’ band, who’d made quite good progress since last time he’d
heard them perform and a brief mentioning of the drama therein. Douglas opted
not to mention his accidental bragging about Power Girl, confident that neither
Kris nor Eddie would ever mention it while Karen was present. Then again, Karen
didn’t strictly speaking have to be in the room, let alone the house to
overhear them.
Karen on her end had a rather uneventful day. What little power she’d recharged
after getting her hair done had mostly been ‘burned off’ when she flew at neck
breaking speed to get Rihanna to sign a copy of her latest album. It was
mentioned in the news that Power Girl had approached the artist while she was
doing a photo shoot, but no other details were known. Karen felt confident that
Rihanna would not divulged the nature of the visit, since celebrities valued
privacy just as much, if not more than Karen. Regardless, the point that Karen
was trying to make was that she’d been spending most of her day sunbathing
instead of doing something productive, like trying to get the DeLorean fiasco
project to actually work.
Tossing the car keys aside on a table in the hallway, Karen said, “-and then I
thought it’d be kinda cool to ask the students to help- build or repair the
farm. Honest day work never hurt anyone, builds character and all that.”
Douglas slowly tagged along with Karen down into the manor, smiling to himself.
She noticed his eyes on her and her voice faded down as a shy smile curved her
lips, “What?”
“Oh, nothing. It’s just- I’m very fortunate to know you, that’s all.”
“Oh-key…”
“I mean, God I’m probably overtired,” he said, running his fingers back and
forth over his forehead, “but you’re a beautiful person Karen, not just on the
outside.”
Karen pointed an accusing finger at him, “Are you trying to get into my pants
with sweet talk?”
“Uh, no ac-”
“Because it’s totally working!” she smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him
along with her down the hallway.
With fast steps, Karen took Douglas back to his room where she promptly turned
on her heel and started showering him with kisses. She held him close as her
head twisted from side to side between kisses, breathing a hungry breath
through her nose. He tried to get in a word, though found it challenging to
talk as she tried to taste his tongue at every chance she got. Considering how
many times stronger she was compared to him, even without her powers, Douglas
realized that he’d be losing this battle unless he took a firm stand. In an
effort to push her off him, his palms landed flat on her breasts.
“Oooh… That’s awfully forward of you,” she moaned out, squirming a little.
Seeing his window of opportunity he said, “Karen, Karen can we stop for just a
minute?”
“What is it?”
“I-I’m sorry Karen, I really am, but I’m too tired.”
“Oh… it’s okay. I- I’m sorry too, I guess-” her voice sank in volume, a fog of
disappointment clouded her eyes, “I just assumed- I’m not sure what got over me
there.”
“It’s been a long day and…” the words tasted like sand, he felt like such an
ungrateful little shit.
“Ssshh…” Karen softly put a finger on his lips, “Come here Doug, it is okay, it
is okay. Don’t worry about it, yeah?”
Gently she folded her arms around him, kissing the top of his head softly
before she rocked him from side to side. Karen was warm, the sound of her
breathing was steady and soothing while faint hints of her perfume tickled his
nose. As she so often did, Karen stroked his hair affectionately, letting it
dance in-between her fingers in a gentle ballet. It was nice to stand like
this, resting the weight of his fatigue on Karen’s tall and strong frame,
basking in her warmth and feeling the soft love in her embrace. How many had
seen this side of her? This loving and caring side of the Woman of Steel, who
punched through rooftops to save those in need and was unfazed by criminals
throwing molotov cocktails on her.
“Are you sure you just wanna sleep?” the question came out like an LP player
jumping of a soothing music track, “You do know you’re poking me with little
Jr. right? Plus you’ve been cupping my boobs the whole time, just saying.”
“I- Uhm.”
“Just pulling your leg Doug,” Karen smiled at him, “Ah! You’re blushing, so
cute!”
Karen’s teasing was something he’d yet to grow used to, but he still felt that
he should do something for her, so after a moment he said, “I suppose we… Uhm…
could cuddle?”
Karen gave him a warm smile and nodded as she took Douglas up on his offer
without a second thought, possibly worried that he’d have a change of heart if
she gave him a second too much to think over what he’d just said. While Douglas
went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, Karen stripped down to her panties and
left her clothes in a messy pile on the floor before slipping underneath the
covers in Douglas’ bed. He wanted to object, or rather suggest that they’d
sleep in Karen’s room since she had the king size double bed, but the sight of
Karen’s nearly naked body in the bathroom mirror made his already tired mind
unable to form words, let alone sentences.
Her body had this odd contradiction of masculine and feminine features, with
the feminine features being just a little bit ahead of the masculine ones.
Karen’s arms and legs were wrapped in defined muscles, the type you get from
simply using your body actively from day to day, rather than the exaggerated
muscles often seen in bodybuilders. Douglas never managed to wrap his head
around the so-called holy trinity of women measurements; breasts, waist and
hips so he was in no position to estimate Karen’s proportions. Regardless, her
curves complimented her 6 feet muscular frame nicely, giving her the vibe of a
woman despite the muscles. It was not difficult to see why Eddie and so many
other guys along with some ladies were up in arms over Power Girl.
Turning off the lights in the bathroom after stripping down to his boxers,
Douglas started to get more and more nervous for each step he took closer to
the bed. It was quite ridiculous, trying to remind himself that he and Karen
had gone beyond this point before, and so there was nothing to be ashamed of or
nervous about. He circled around the bed, Karen laid on her side and pulled
open the duvet, inviting him in. Slipping underneath, his feet brushed against
hers and she folded the duvet over him like a soft wing, her arm resting over
his shoulder. He could feel her gentle, warm breath washing against the back of
his neck like small waves against the shore. Creaking a little, the woodwork of
the bed protested as she shifted a little, bending in and becoming the bigger
spoon as her chest pressed on the back of his shoulders.
“This is nice,” he said as he felt the mattress shaping to his body.
“Ssshh… you’re spoiling the mood,” she chided him gently, her voice a soft
whisper just a few inches away from his ear.
Fishing out a free hand from underneath the duvet, he put it over her hand and
softly stroked the top with his thumb. She let out a faint, approving moan, he
could practically hear her smile. Taking in a deeper breath, her chest grew,
pushing firmer against his back and she held it for a moment before letting out
a long stream of warm breath tickle down his neck and over his ears.
"It is a little cramped though.”
“Doug…” she sighed, “What did I say about the mood?”
“I’m just sayi-”
“You better not call me fat buster, unless you want to sleep in the driveway,”
there was a drowsy taste to her annoyed tone.
Opting not to press his luck any further, Douglas kept quiet and just let the
peace and quiet sink in over him. Aside from Karen’s slow and steady breathing
the room was quieter than a library at night. There were some perks to live in
a manor on a large property surrounded by a brick wall. As peaceful and quiet
it was, it’s been years since Douglas had shared bed with anyone. Back when he
was around 4-5 years old he’d seen a cartoon that was apparently a little too
much and he’d crept in to his mother’s bed for comfort. Funny you’d start with
something in the here and now, only to connect it to a small little speck in
your memory and before you know it you’re riding the express train through
memory lane.
Memories of him and his mother played out on the cinema of Douglas’ mind,
sounds and voices danced and waned around his hears. The first day at school,
when Eddie was so loud and eager to make friends with him that it made Douglas
hide behind his mother’s legs, crying. Some small memory about his school lunch
urged him forward to a winter when his mother baked Christmas cookies and how
his uncle told tall tales of how he was Santa’s best field agent, checking out
who’d been naughty and who’d been nice. From the made up tales, Douglas
memories ushered him onwards to him sitting on his uncle’s lap as he read him a
book. Which one it was didn’t really matter, for it captured his imagination
like nothing else and the long hours he had to wait for his mother to come home
from work flew by as if they were seconds.
“Douglas? What’s wrong?” Karen’s voice was soft, hiding behind a thin veil of
worry.
Sniffing, Douglas realized he had tears in his eyes, “Nothing, I- I just
remember some stuff, about mom.”
“It’s okay Douglas,” her legs inched a little closer to his and the tip of her
nose poked gently at the back of his head, “there’s no shame in crying.”
“I just miss her so much.”
“Ssshh, ssshh. I know baby, I know. Ssshh.”
Her arm folded tighter around him, close and firm without being suffocating.
The warmth from her body melded with his and for a while he let the quiet sobs
flow until he had no more tears to cry. Calming down and swatting away tears
that still hung on to the side of his nose, he came to think about how often
she’d done something similar. The moment when he’d found her in her bedroom
crying played out in his mind, and he realized that there must have been plenty
of times when she couldn’t save someone and could only offer comfort to those
that made it. Her words that she’d spoken, about tearing open the car wreck
with her bare hands reminded him just how strong she was and how gentle she was
with him.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
“So I've been thinking,” Douglas said, collecting his school bag after
finishing breakfast the following Monday.
“Mm? Thinking? And here I thought you wore that handsome head for decoration
purposes only,” Karen mumbled as she adjusted the belt on her form-fitting
suit.
“Ha, ha, ha. Be nice Karen,” Douglas chided at her. “I've been thinking about
getting my driver’s license.”
“Oooh... I'm not too sure about that,” Karen sounded skeptical, worried even.
“If you're worried that I'll end up like my Finnish lookalike, don't be,”
Douglas assured her as he crossed the kitchen and headed for the main hallway.
“Besides, what are the odds that something bad will happen?”
“1:112 on average in America as of 2015,” Karen countered, following behind
Douglas for the front door, tugging her left glove and wiggling her fingers to
make it fit properly. “But I suppose I'll be your instructor so…”
“If I'm not safe in a car with you riding shotgun, I'll never be,” Douglas
argued her with a clever little smile. “So can we, pretty please?”
“We'll have to see about that Douglas, I'll be gone for most of the week,”
Karen said, letting out a sigh that hinted that it was one of those things that
simply could not be helped. “So how do I look?”
“Why milady, you look like a true mistress of might,” Douglas replied with an
odd French accent and tipping an invisible fedora.
“Oh knock it off will you?” Karen lightly slapped Douglas on the shoulder with
her other glove before putting it on. “Dinner is in the fridge.”
“I was going for pizza today,” Douglas pouted, opening the front door.
“Oh no you don't,” Karen said, “Sauce and potatoes young man. Gotta eat your
vegetables.”
“It has paprika on it, that's a vegetable,” Douglas said, shrugging his
shoulders and gesturing with his arms.
“Nice try, but no pizza,” she told him with a stiff smile. “Okay, gotta fly.
Love you and take care.”
Karen raised a fist up in the air and shot upwards like a speeding bullet,
barely staying subsonic in terms of speed, Douglas traced her disappearing
figure until she was reduced to a small dark dot that got swallowed up by a
passing cloud. Taking in the spring morning with a deep breath, Douglas double
checked that the front door was locked, and headed for school. Fiddling with
his new cell phone, he was trying to add both Eddie and Kris to his contact
list when he realized he'd yet to receive Karen's number. Pondering it over, it
took him down memory lane when he met Karen outside the hospital shortly after
the storm. Remembering how Karen, or rather Power Girl, didn't have a phone on
her back then, Douglas had to settle down with the fact that she'd be off the
grid for the next week while she flew around the world, saving the day wherever
she could.
When he finally found the right menu, Douglas fished out a couple of crumbled
post-it notes that had Kris and Eddie's numbers written down on them, the blue
ink partially smeared over the note. Mindful of traffic, he checked both ways
before crossing the street, before the cell phone got his attention again. Once
the contact list was updated and he'd double checked that the numbers were
correct, Douglas sent out a quick text message to both Eddie and Kris, inviting
them over to his place. It's been a while since they’d come over for a visit
and with Karen out of the house for at least a week, he'd be starved for social
interaction before long. The thought of charging into new territory and
reaching out to some of his classmates did cross his mind, but he opted against
it.
After the first class was over, Douglas gave his phone a quick check as he
headed over to geography class. True enough, both Kris and Eddie would love to
come over, with Eddie asking if it would be okay to bring Pam over as well.
Douglas replied, saying it shouldn't be a problem, that he was free the whole
week and that they could drop by whenever as long as they gave him a little
heads up first. Kris sent a message back right away, bombarding him with an
army of smilies while Eddie on the other hand sent a simple 'cool.'
It was three days later when Douglas' phone chimed in and Kris suggested that
they'd come over for some Chinese take-away. After some back and forth settling
who wanted what and how to settle payment, Kris, Eddie and Pam arrived a good
hour later. Since it was the first time Pam visited Douglas' new home, a guided
tour was obligatory.
“Say, what's behind this door?” Pam asked, pointing at one of the doors in the
main hallway.
“Ah, please don't enter there Pam,” Douglas made a nervous gesture with his
hands, “that's Karen's bedroom.”
“What? She's a slob or something?”
“No, idiot,” Eddie started, grabbing Pam's wrist and pulled her away from the
door, “It's just common sense not to pry.”
“Oh my God, just let go moron!”
“Say Kris, mind taking the food upstairs?” Douglas asked, “We'll finish this up
and join you in the living room, first door on your right.”
“Sure thing, think we'll need plates?”
“Me and Eddie will sort something out.”
While a little offended that she didn't get to see the master bedroom, Pam's
short attention span was quickly overwritten when she saw the rest of the
manor. Once she got wind of the leisure room on the second floor, she darted
off like a cartoon character, prompting Eddie to give chase. Douglas let them
have their little fun, as neither of them meant any real harm and it felt good
to hear the sound of voices and laughter in the usually quiet manor. With the
sound of happy, heavy feet stomping around on the second floor along with
muffled voices, he headed for the kitchen to collect some plates and glasses.
Keeping Pam from bringing her food into the leisure room proved a challenge, as
Eddie tired as best he could to tell her that the greasy Chinese food would
make an utter mess out of the pool table. Kris was surprisingly quiet during
the meal, though Douglas dismissed it as part of the band drama rather than
something else. After all if she wanted to talk about it, she knew where to
find him. With the meal out of the way, Eddie yielded and joined his sister in
a game of pool, betting the next two weeks of house chores while Douglas and
Kris headed downstairs to do the dishes.
“Pam's as energetic as always,” he said more to himself than to Kris.
“Well, she's at that age I guess.”
“You've been quiet today,” he felt that he should at least let Kris know that
he'd noticed, “something on your mind?”
“Oh, it's just that-” Kris started before cutting herself short.
“If you don't want to talk about it, it's cool,” Douglas was quick to assure
her.
“Have you seen it?” she said, stopping rinsing the plate under running water.
“Seen what? I don't follow.”
“The office, upstairs.”
A bone chilling feeling ran down Douglas' spine like some ghostly oversized
spider. He'd given Kris the wrong directions, literally unable to tell his
right from his left and she'd walked into Karen's office. He'd never really
been there too often and never really taken in the place. Karen had assured him
that she didn't have some sort of secret lair, but it was obvious from Kris'
reaction that something was terribly off. He'd have one hell of an explanation
to do if Kris had seen something in there that allowed her to connect the dots
between Karen and Power Girl.
“It's- kind of off limits,” he said, trying his hardest to put on the poker
face of a lifetime, “so I've never really gotten a good look at it.”
“Ah, okay then,” Kris' tone shifted gears as if dismissing the whole deal, “so
you don't know then.”
Just as Douglas was about to ask her what she meant, the kitchen door opened
and the two of them looked over to find Karen standing in the doorway. She wore
the most hideous Hawaiian shirt that ever graced the Earth, probably three
sizes too big, sweat pants that had several holes burned through the fabric
along with paint stains and miss matched shoes. The three of them exchanged
glances at one another, no one really sure how to make heads or tails of the
situation.
“We're having guests?” Karen broke the silence with a baffled expression.
“Karen! I- uh thought you'd be gone for the week,” Douglas' voice cracked an
extra octave before settling in on his usual tone.
“Ms. Starr if you don't mind me asking,” Kris pointed a dubious finger at her,
“just what are you wearing?”
“You guys haven't heard the news?” Karen seemed to get a firmer grasp on the
situation, running her hand over the left half of her face, “Volcanic eruption
on Hawaii, my hotel had to be evacuated and Power Girl gave me a lift to the
airport. I had to leave in my undies, so the airport staff let me have this
from the lost and found storage.”
“Oh my gosh,” Kris gasped, her eyes wide with shock, “Ms. Starr are you
alright?”
“I'm fine, thank you,” Karen assured her with a tired smile, “Doug, a minute
please.”
Like a small puppy waiting to get scolded badly, Douglas followed Karen out of
the kitchen and back to her bedroom. After closing the door, Karen looked up at
the ceiling, her blue irises glowed dimly and her eyes looked distant. As she
walked over to her wardrobe, it looked as if she was straining her hearing
trying to catch an important and elusive sound. Once satisfied, Karen started
to go through the clothes in the wardrobe and made her selection before she
started stripping down. The white form fitting suit that was underneath Karen's
improvised clothing was torn, tattered and burned. What was left of it didn't
really leave much to the imagination and Douglas found himself drawing in a
sharp breath before turning away.
“Uh, I'll just wait outs-“
“Stay put,” Karen's tone was stern and commanding, “your friends are
entertained on the second floor for the moment, so I'll be quick.”
“What happened out there?”
“I screwed up. Been a while since I've done that,” Karen snapped on her bra and
adjusted the shoulder straps a little, “in more ways than one.”
“So there is an eruption on Hawaii?”
“Yes and they'll just have to manage.”
“Why, aren't you going back out again?”
“If you'd been home alone or outside visiting your friends, then yes I would,”
she said, her words briefly muffled by the washed out t-shirt she quickly threw
over her head, “but Karen Starr is just a human, who had a nasty experience
with hotel fire due to a volcano, flown on an airplane from Hawaii to Kentucky
and thus she's exhausted from the jet-lag.”
“Oh...” Douglas mumbled as it dawned on him the implications of what he'd done.
“Karen, I'm so sorr-”
She turned around and looked at him with angry blue eyes, “No Doug this isn't
your fault, you hear me? There was no way you could have known and if anything,
I should have known better.” Karen sighed with a frustrated disappointment,
“Like I said, I screwed up.”
“Well, I could send them back home if you'd like,” he offered what little he
could to compensate for his mistake.
Sitting on the bed, Karen pulled on a pair of fresh sweat pants before she
stood up and put a caring hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. “Enjoy your
time with your friends Doug, just keep it down okay? I'll go to bed after a
quick shower and putting on my contact lens again.”
“And there's one more thing you should know,” Douglas admitted, fearing that if
he didn't tell Karen right away things could get much worse. “Kris saw
something in your office when she entered it by mistake. I don't know what, but
I thought you should know.”
“How did she take it?”
“She's been very quiet and- well, she asked if I knew.”
“I see,” Karen's eyes narrowed for a moment before she gave Douglas a quick
smile, “It's nothing to worry about Doug.”
Coming back up to the leisure room, Douglas found Eddie gawking on his phone
while Kris had taken over his place as Pam’s opponent in the pool game. They
were setting up for another round when Eddie shot out of his seat and rushed
over to Douglas, super excited. The word about Power Girl’s latest escapade had
apparently reached him and as usual he was all too eager to talk about it to
anyone within earshot. He showed Douglas a shaky filmed video that had been
uploaded on one of Power Girl’s fan sites where she was digging a massive
trench to keep the slow moving lava from reaching a hotel. Without warning
there was a loud explosion and a massive fireball bellowed upwards, the
shockwave shattered just about every window in the hotel and something blasted
through the whole building.
“Damn that’s some sloppy moves,” Eddie said as the video stopped, the comments
underneath it appeared to share the same sentiment.
“That’s kind of unexpected,” Douglas said, “never thought you’d be one to
criticize Power Girl.”
“Don’t get me wrong dude, she’s awesome,” Eddie was quick to reaffirm his
loyalty, “but it’s unexpected that she’d do such a basic mistake.”
“She seemed to do fine to me.”
“Look again bro,” Eddie scrolled down to the comments where the armchair
experts said that Power Girl had punctured a gas line, which exploded and
almost did more damage than good, “it’s almost as if her mind isn’t on the
job.”
“I suppose, but she can take it right? The blast I mean.”
Eddie frowned and kept on scrolling downwards on the comments, “That video is a
couple of hours old and she still hasn’t come back. Could be a confidence
issue, could be that there’s another nasty thing happening elsewhere or
something else.”
“I don’t know man, you’re the expert,” Douglas shrugged, “By the way; Karen is
back so we need to keep it down.”
“Yeah, no prob dude, no prob.”
Using a bathroom break as his excuse, Douglas retreated from the leisure room.
As wrong as it was, his curiosity was just screaming and rattling inside his
mind. Just what was it inside Karen’s office that had made Kris fallen silent
and why wouldn’t Karen tell him anything? Didn’t the two of them agree not to
keep secrets from one another? The door to Karen’s office looked like a tall
and massive gate to some foreboding castle than anything else. With the
clacking sound of pool balls getting scattered as his cue, Douglas grabbed the
door handle, twisted it around and took a deep step inside the room beyond.
Looking around he couldn’t really see anything out of the ordinary with a
passing glance. Yes there were boxes around that hadn’t been there before, they
were in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but nothing unusual. Some flat as a
blackboard, while others were more of the size of bed side tables. He was about
to leave when a label on one of the boxes caught his eye; baby crib. Walking
among the other boxes Douglas checked the labels he could find and true enough
they were all baby related; clothes, car seat, activity gym and a host of other
things. Douglas figured once all this gets unpacked and assembled, there would
be enough to go around for several babies.
“Oh boy… no wonder Kris was acting off.”
***** Keeping it Secret *****
Chapter Summary
     Douglas starts struggling keeping his relationship with Power Girl a
     secret as she gets more and more demanding since she's still not
     pregnant, despite their efforts. While she won't admit it, Power Girl
     is also getting sexually frustrated since she cannot orgasm, putting
     their secret relationship under more stress.
Douglas was over at Eddie’s place when the news broke; a school shooting in Las
Vegas to which Power Girl had responded. Reports were ticking in that she’d
been taking a small break at a nearby café to catch a quick bite when without
warning she’d taken off. Just the mere mentioning of her was all that Eddie
needed to dive in and check his own sources. True enough, Power Girl had
overpowered the shooter shortly after the first shot was fired. He was puzzled
by some of the reports, since they appeared contradictory to Power Girl’s
familiar M.O.
“What’s so special about this one?” Douglas asked, interested in an ‘experts’
opinion.
“The reports are still unconfirmed,” Eddie started, pointing at the online
message board, “but apparently Power Girl just smashed right through several
walls to get to the shooter and she broke several of the shooters bones when
she tackled her.”
Douglas’ raised his eyebrows in surprise, “The shooter was a girl?”
“Yeah bro, reporters are just speculating at this point. The dominating theory
is that some chick had a condition and was off her meds.”
“Huh, looks like the only casualty was the teacher that held the classroom door
shut,” Douglas said, squinting at the screen.
Eddie crossed his arms across his chest, nodding, “Hm, proves that you don’t
need to wear a cape to be a hero.”
He joined an online chatroom and started digging around for more information.
Guess Eddie would be spending the rest of the day and night updating his blog,
Douglas thought to himself. He just skimmed over some of the comments as the
text scrolled over the screen, but from the bits and pieces Douglas did see
there was indeed an overall impression that Power Girl had step out of line.
The fans cited that she’d not used such excessive force in stopping a crime
since the early or mid-80’s, back when she first made her debut. Links to old
newspaper and video clips were thrown around to quell the newer generation of
fans, who insisted that Power Girl had always been very careful with her
powers. Most, if not all of this was old news to Eddie, so he quickly clicked
the links away, though Douglas caught glimpses of headlines about her ‘power
trip’ against the drug trade in Miami.
The discussion remained civil for a while, people pointing out that Power Girl
had largely taken a backseat against vigilantism as most law enforcements
frowned on it due to the legal problems it caused. More often than not, an
arrest made by Power Girl let the criminal walk, since she was not an officer
of the law. When she did step up to the plate, it was often in close
cooperation with local or federal law enforcement. Power Girl would act as the
‘big guns’ for the police and they’d do the actual arrests. From here the
discussion started to deteriorate with lame puns about what Power Girl’s ‘big
guns’ really were and efforts to steer it towards more interesting topics
failed.
“Yeah, well fuck you and your mom, you fuckin’ fag!” Eddie flipped both his
fingers on the screen before he closed the chat window.
Douglas allowed himself a smile, it was rare to see Eddie in his element.
“You’d think people would accept some collateral damage over the lives of
junior high school kids.”
“Aww dude, dude, dude… you really don’t know anything about Power Girl, do
you?”
“I- I know a thing or two,” Douglas pouted, sounding both defensive and
offended at the same time.
“Yeah, yeah… sure you do bud,” Eddie slumped back in his chair, spinning it
around a little, “Look, Power Girl struck a deal with the Clinton
administration. Part of the deal was for her to show constraint, no more of
that gun-ho shoot from the hip kinda thing that dominated the 80’s. She
essentially became accountable for her actions.”
“So she really was out of line? Think there will be any implications?”
Eddie shifted in his chair, tilting his head with a surprised expression on his
face, “Look at Doug, climbing the Power Girl fanboy ladder.”
“I’ll- I’ll admit that she’s been more than a curiosity in the news since she
saved me, alright?”
“Sure whatever dude.”
The quest for facts regarding the story as it unfolded would take most of
Eddie’s attention and as such Douglas excused himself to head back home about
half an hour later. Saying his goodbyes to Pam as he left, Douglas headed down
the quiet street to the bus stop. Looking up at the dusk sky, he figured it
wouldn’t be wrong to ask Karen one more time about getting his driver’s
license. A faint, cold breeze danced by and he pulled up his shoulders before
tucking his hands in his pockets. Hopefully he wouldn’t miss the bus, with the
sun setting it would get pretty cold pretty fast. A fluttering sound, like a
flag swaying in the wind caught his ears and Douglas looked up, over his
shoulder. True enough, Power Girl hung in the air some twenty feet over the
ground. She looked over the street and the houses on either side before she
made a soft landing.
“Ka- Power Girl, what’s… uh, up?”
“Why weren’t you home?” her steps and pose was quiet, borderline lazy yet there
was something about her that made the hair on Douglas’ neck stand up.
“Eddie wanted to hang out and you were,” he paused and glanced around, “out.”
“Is that so?” Power Girl kept on walking, giving him a sideways glance as she
passed him, “Leave a note next time, will you?”
“Uh, sure I’ll leave one on the fridge or something,” he turned around and
traced her with his eyes before he jogged a few steps to catch up with her,
“Saw you on the news by the way.”
“Doug, don’t,” Power Girl pointed at him with two fingers, “Just don’t.”
They walked a minute in silence before they arrived at a cross section. Douglas
was about to make a right turn towards his old school and the nearby bus stop,
yet Power Girl just kept on walking straight forward. Hesitantly Douglas looked
down the road he intended to take and then on Power Girl’s tall back, her cape
lightly tugging against the passing breeze. As the first stars started to
sparkle in the sky, he made up his mind and followed Power Girl down her road.
One of her eyebrows raised with curiosity as she gave him a sideways glance
right after he caught up with her, but she said nothing.
He couldn’t come up with anything smart or comforting to say, so Douglas just
walked by her side in silence. Part of him suggested that he should make a
small gesture to assure Power Girl that everything was going to be alright, or
at least that he thought so. Something simple, like holding her hand, yet
movement in one of the windows across the street reminded him that they were
not in private. As much as it would hurt his ego, it’d be easier to explain
that Power Girl was simply walking him home should they run into some stranger.
“You’ve missed the bus,” Power Girl said, nodding her head back towards his old
school.
“I think it’s better if I stay with you.”
She scratched the side of her cheek, “Do you now?”
“Look Ka- Power Girl, I’m not used to this whole relationship thing,” Douglas
said, “let alone dealing with super heroics half the country away, but I’m
trying okay?”
“Yeah, you are,” she turned left at the intersection and the streetlight came
on.
“Where are we headed anyway?” Douglas asked, looking around the rather
unfamiliar neighborhood.
“I left the car just down the road after doing some shopping,” Power Girl made
a vague gesture towards their right as if indicating the location of the car.
“So why are you walking?” Douglas took off his glasses, holding them up against
the streetlight in an attempt to spot some dirt, “Wouldn’t it be easier and
more convenient to fly over?”
She inhaled and exhaled with a flair of over-exaggeration, “Sometimes it’s nice
to-”
A metallic rattling sound shattered the calm silence that had hung over the
street. Power Girl turned in the direction of the sound, peering into the dark
shadows across the street. He put his glasses back on, trying to see whatever
it was that Power Girl apparently spotted. Just before he was about to speak
up, she shot off like fired out of a cannon, her feet kicking up football sized
chunks of asphalt. In the distance a dog barked and people came to their
windows, trying to see what the commotion was all about. Douglas figured it was
best if he stayed closed to Power Girl rather than stick around.
Coming up to a simple white shed whose front door had been pried open, Douglas
bumped into a person that smelled like a sewer. He staggered backwards and
after finding his footing, Douglas looked as the back of the person, apparently
a man, disappeared into the night as fast as his feet would carry him. As the
sound of the man’s feet faded away, Douglas looked into the shed and saw Power
Girl standing there almost dumbstruck, looking at her hands. The sound of
neighbors coming out of their houses caught her attention and she snapped out
of her trance. As soon as Power Girl laid her eyes on Douglas, her face shifted
to a disapproving glare and she stomped over to him.
With a firm clasp, Power Girl’s hand locked around his wrist and she yanked him
close. Feeling his chin poke the top of her cleavage, Douglas wasn’t given a
second to recover as she locked her other arm behind his knees, efficiently
sweeping him off his feet. He’d barely settled in inside her arms when they
were airborne and the neighbors calling out after then grew distant. The flight
trip was more of a long and tall jump rather than actual flight, so the steep
ascend and descend made Douglas lock his arms around Power Girl’s neck. It
wasn’t until they were back on the ground and Power Girl had let him go that he
realized that he’d hugged his crouch into her breasts.
Douglas took a look around, tucking at his pants a little to adjust for his
erection. They were in a quiet parking lot where the only car that was parked
belonged to Karen. Both the pizza shop and small supermarket that stood side by
side were closed for the evening. Opposite on the left side there was another
commercial building of sorts, though it had seen better days and looked like it
had stood empty for some time. Karen walked up to her car and fished out some
clothes from the back seat before heading over to the deserted building. She
strode over to one of the doors and pressed it open, the lock breaking with no
apparent effort on her end.
“Ka- what are you doing?!” Douglas followed after her inside the building.
“Changing, watch the door,” she replied with a deadpan tone as she fiddled with
her sweater.
“You can’t just break in like that. What if someone sees you? Sees us?”
Popping her head out from the sweater, Karen pointed towards one of the ‘for
sale’ signs that were pasted on the windows, “Bought it last week.”
“Oh-kay…” Douglas looked around outside, but the parking lot was as quiet and
deserted as before, “What about that guy in the shed?”
“Druggie looking for something to steal,” her tone dismissed Douglas' concerns
as a trivial annoyance.
Douglas scratched the back of his neck, “You think maybe… you were too hard on
him?”
“No,” she pulled up her jeans, tearing the belt hinges in the process, “Aww
crap.”
They left the store, Karen slamming the door behind her hard enough to break
the glass in it. Bundling her cape into a red ball, she tossed it into the
backseat and got behind the wheel. Karen patted herself up and down, looking
for the car keys. A hoarse groan of frustration rumbled in the back of her
throat as she had to arch backwards to fish out the keys from her tight jeans
pocket. Douglas slipped into his seat in the back as quietly as possible, the
clicking of his seatbelt lock sounded like a shotgun blast. With a sharp stomp
on the gas pedal, Karen got the car running out of the parking lot and danced
just over the speed limit for the whole ride home.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
On the following morning, Douglas woke up to muffled voices coming from outside
his bedroom. Given the size of the manor and how many people lived in it, this
was highly unusual. Curious, Douglas slipped out of his bed, wrapped a bathrobe
around himself and stepped into his slippers before heading for the door. Just
as his hand touched the door handle, he doubled back to his bed and put his
glasses on. With each step he took down the main hallway, the voices grew
louder and their words clearer.
“-what I didn't do was threaten the kid,” Karen's voice was just about as
defiant as it was defensive.
A small moment of silence ticked by before a man spoke up, “Ms. Starr, we're
just here to get your side of the story.”
Douglas swallowed and tucked his bathrobe around him tighter as if shutting out
a bitter cold. Just as he'd feared, Karen was getting chewed out by the
government for what had happened in Vegas. Before his mind could drift any
further, the kitchen door handle clanked and the hinges piped out a squeak as
the door swung open. Karen looked at Douglas, her faced clouded with a
disapproving frown before she nudged her head, prompting him to join her in the
kitchen. Seated at the kitchen table, FBI special agents Reed and Reese were
mulling over their papers and tablets.
“Eavesdropping is not nice, Douglas,” she said as he walked past her.
The door closed with an angry slam behind him which made him flinch a little,
Douglas could see Karen in the corner of his eye as she walked over to the
kitchen counter and poured some coffee for their guests. Judging by her bright
red striped panties and washed out singlet, Douglas figured that it was early
for Karen as well. Not that the FBI seemed to care, though it didn't really
help on the overall mood for anyone involved.
“Should he even be here?” agent Reed rested his elbow on the table as he
gestured towards Douglas with a red pen.
“No,” agent Reese didn't even bother looking up, he just swiped left on his
tablet.
Douglas shrunk back and adjusted his glasses a little. “I- I... uh, should
maybe- ”
“Yes he should be here,” Karen cut him off, putting down the coffee cups on the
table, her tall frame loomed over the two agents.
“Why's that Ms. Starr?”
Karen drew herself up, a look of tired resentment washed over her eyes like a
lazy sea wave, “He's family, I've trusted him with the truth and frankly I
don't like it when people try to tell me what I can and cannot do in my own
house.”
Agent Reese looked up from his tablet, challenging Karen's gaze with his own.
Their eyes locked and it seemed like they had a silent battle of determination,
from which agent Reese eventually withdrew. Douglas on the other hand retreated
as far back as the kitchen counter would let him, shrinking away from the
silent confrontation, treating it like a roaring and deadly fire. Once they
started talking again, it became painfully clear that neither of the agents
approved of including Douglas, as they talked in hushed voices. Rather than
press his luck with the agents patience and set of a powder keg, Douglas opted
for breakfast instead. Toast with some egg and bacon should suffice.
“People. Were. Dying,” Karen's words came down like a carpenter's hammer,
slamming down on a single stubborn nail. “Children no less.”
Agent Reese leaned back in his chair, smelling his hot coffee, “Could it be
that you overreacted because of your... make believe family?”
“You want to run that by me again?” Karen swatted out at the coffee cup in
agent Reese' hand so fast and hard that the handle broke off, sending the cup
smashing against the wall on the far end of the room. “Do you? Huh?”
“No,” agent Reed rose from his chair and started packing up his paperwork, “we
don't. We'll be in touch Ms. Starr. Good day.”
With Karen resting her hands on the edge of the kitchen table, staring at the
remaining piece of paper, the two agents took their leave. A long minute ticked
by as the sound of a car starting up and leaving the driveway was barely heard
from inside the kitchen. When the toaster finally had enough and kicked the
bread out, the sudden snap made Douglas jump out of his good skin. Feeling
Karen’s foul mood pour out of her like steam form a pot of boiling water, his
mind had forgotten all about the eggs and bacon and Douglas settled for some
basic strawberry jam instead. With his simple toast on a plate in one hand and
a glass of juice in the other, Douglas shuffled his feet quietly over to the
kitchen table. Karen started gathering up the broken pieces from the coffee
cup, sulking over by the wall.
“They, uh, want you to do a PR thing?” Douglas glanced over at the paper left
on the kitchen table, “Gun safety awareness?”
“It’s stupid, but public image and what not,” Karen said as she dumped the
broken coffee cup into the trash. “Plus I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll just
go to the Alps and build a snowman instead.” She walked over and took a seat at
the kitchen table, folding her arms on it and buried her face.
After a long minute of silence, Karen looked up as if something suddenly caught
her attention and peered into the direction of Douglas room, “Your phone is
ringing,” she said.
Douglas half jogged back to his room, his bathrobe flapping around his knees
and just as he swung open the door to his room, the phone stopped ringing.
Picking it up, he checked the call log and called Kris back. Apparently there
was some more drama with her band and they’d split up. As a side effect of
this, the remaining band members were not only without someone who could do the
vocals, they also didn’t have a place to practice. After assuring Douglas that
she wasn’t scouting him to do any singing, fearing that they’d get sued by
Disney for using Donald Duck’s voice without permission, Kris wanted to know if
it would be okay to use his old home until they could find something more
permanent.
“Uh… I’m not too sure about that,” he said, turning around to spot Karen
leaning in the door way, arms crossed.
“I know I’m asking a lot, but please Doug? You’d be an angel if you did,” Kris
pleaded on her end of the phone. “I’ll keep an eye on them and we’ll be civil,
promise.”
“I’d love to help out, but…” Douglas eyes landed on Karen, asking her silently
for a second opinion. Karen, clearly hearing the whole conversation no thanks
to her super hearing, shrugged her shoulders.
“Look, look. How about you come over and meet them? Okay? If my vouching for
them isn’t good enough, maybe, maybe meeting them in person will- I dunno, tip
the scales?”
“I don-” he started, before Kris dived in with her last sales pitch as it were.
“And! And if you get some bad vibes and say no, we’ll just- drop it. Okay?
Please? Pretty please with sugar on top?”
Douglas threw back his, looking up at the ceiling, “Oh, alright. I’ll meet you
at school later today? Around, err, 1 PM? Bye.”
He hung up and sighed, tossing the phone on the bed. Sometimes Douglas wished
he could be a little bit more selfish and tell people to back off. Then again,
part of his nature and a large part of his upbringing revolved around treating
others as he himself wanted to be treated. Had their roles been reversed,
Douglas sure would have appreciated Kris jumping in to help him out in a pinch.
Guess he’d just have to add this to the favor tab. Karen still stood in the
door way, her expression looked tired and indifferent.
“Guess you heard all that?” Douglas rubbed a hand over his mouth. “Any chance
you’ll give me lift back to West Point?”
“Sure,” Karen nudged herself off the door frame, her tone had a touch of
indifferent disapproval.
 
===============================================================================
 
The leather in his seat creaked underneath him as Douglas settled in the front
seat. Karen close the driver’s door with a loud thud, the keys rattling with a
light metallic cling as she leaned over to start the car. A quick shower, fresh
set of clothes and some quick make up was apparently not enough to give her a
clean slate as far as her mood went. It could be because Karen often choose to
wear long and baggy clothes whenever she went outside, a conscious choice to
keep people from making a connection between her and Power Girl. While Douglas
was fairly certain that it didn’t have much impact on her as far as temperature
and comfort went, he couldn’t help but notice Karen venting some of her bad
mood on the sleeves of her sweater and jacket. With summer right around the
corner, Douglas figured that even Karen would like to dress up for the season.
Then again, it could very well be more about what the agents had told her
earlier that was still eating at her. Or maybe she was on her period? Do
Kryptonians even have periods?
As far as the drive went, it was over in a blink. Karen clearly had shit to do
and places to be, West Point was apparently not one of them. She parked outside
Douglas’ old school and saw him off, peering over her sunglasses. Meeting Kris
and her band at the small playground just across the street from his old
school, they exchanged greetings and chatted for a while as they goofed around
on the swings. It was easy to see why Kris hung out with them; they were
dreamers and explorers eager to spread their wings. Between classes and band
practice, they were flipping burgers and washing dishes, scraping together a
fistful of dollars so they could one day get out of town. It was admirable that
these kids whom had embraced punk and rock were so focused and disciplined that
they'd stay on their long term goal, despite that many teachers and adults
wrote them off as slackers.
They walked over to Douglas old house after a small hour of chit chat, since
neither one of them or the group as a whole didn't give Douglas any bad vibes.
Should there however unlikely be an incident, they'd own it and make up for it.
For Douglas it felt like a lifetime since he'd been at his old place, it was
like a different place from a long gone age. Funny how one's perception of time
doesn't really match up when you look at the actual calendar. The house itself
was pretty much as he and Karen had left it, save the now barren feeling of
being unused. It might look like home, but it felt empty and cold, despite the
sunny weather outside. The early summer sun poked through whatever cracks it
found between the curtains. Inside the living room, the furniture looked like
ghostly silhouettes with their white sheets covering them and the chairs
flipped upside down, resting on the kitchen table looked oddly deserted.
There were some light questioning back and forth, covering electricity, water,
power outlets and other practical issues. Kris did most of the talking,
stealing glances down on her phone between questions while her friends quietly
looked around. Douglas answered as best he could, though he stressed that he
would have to check with Karen to get final confirmation on some of the
questions. She had pretty much handled all the 'adult stuff' shortly after
she'd become his legal guardian.
“Huh, you really do rely on her a lot,” Kris said, “Not that I blame you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothin’,” she shrugged, “she’s got her shit together and it wouldn’t surprise
me if you fawn all over her every chance you get.”
“I do not.”
“I’ve got eyes Doug and I know hungry eyes when I see them.”
He crossed his arms across his chest, “I- I’ve no idea what you’re talking
about.”
“As much as you prefer books over people, there’s no denying that you’re a
teenager and she’s a top tier MILF.” Kris shot him a quick, sarcastic smile,
“Biology 101 Doug, sprinkled with the ABC of sex ed. You kinky bookworm, goin’
for the hot step mom.”
The gang was very positive to the place and assured that they'd behave if they
were allowed to use it, making a point that it would be a temporary solution
only. Douglas was a still a little skeptical to the whole deal, but promised
them that he'd consider it and let them know as soon as he'd worked out the
final details with Karen. If nothing else, they could use the place to store
their instruments and amplifiers until a better solution presented itself. As a
last bribe to sway his opinion, Kris offered to give him a lift home.
“So, any chance you're gonna get a driver’s license any time soon?” Kris said,
changing the subject from band drama and armature real estate.
Douglas held down a burp before he answered, “Yeah, or at least I’ve mentioned
it to Karen, but…”
“But what?”
“She’s still on the fence,” he gestured with his hands, “saw something about a
car crash on the news and it shook her up pretty badly.”
“Huh, didn’t think she was the type to be upset by something like that,” she
turned around in her seat to see if there were anyone in the blind spots. “It’s
down here, to the left?”
“Yeah, yeah. First one on the left.”
Kris parked in the driveway and rolled down the window shortly after Douglas
had left, “Not to nag but…”
He gave her a smile, “I know, I know. I’ll keep you posted on any and all
developments.”
She smiled back, rolled up the window and backed out of the drive way. Douglas
saw her off and once the car was out of view, he fished out his phone from his
pocket to check the time. It was just quarter to three, so the day wasn’t
totally spent yet. Feeling a slight gurgle in his stomach, he figured it might
be a good idea to get something to eat. He hadn’t really eaten anything since
his humble breakfast. Just as he was about to look up from his phone he bumped
into Karen, face first into her chest. Douglas staggered half a step back,
flustered and adjusted his glasses with a surprised scare on his face. Karen
was wearing her Power Girl suit, hands on her hips and had an annoyed
disapproving look to her eyes.
“Karen, you scared me,” he said, while packing away his phone. “Is there
something wrong?”
“What was that about?” she asked, nudging her chin towards the end of the drive
way.
“What, Kris? She just gave me a lift back home from West Point.”
“Uh-huh…” Karen shifted her hands from her hips to crossing her arms across her
chest.
“Well she did offer and since I don’t have a driver’s license…”
Karen spun on her heel, the gravel crackling underneath her foot, “We can start
test driving tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay then. That’s, uh, great,” Douglas followed her inside the manor.
Tagging along a few steps behind her, Douglas figured Karen would head straight
for the master bedroom. Instead she kept on walking, passing by both the door
to the second floor and the kitchen, entering the guest bedroom and slammed the
door hard enough to rattle the picture that hung next to it. Not quite sure
what to make of it, Douglas just carried on to his room and left his phone to
charge before he backtracked to the kitchen and make himself a much delayed and
needed lunch. While he fixed himself a series of hot ham and cheese sandwiches,
Douglas figured he’d try something different. Karen’s bad mood made him
uncomfortable and she was so difficult to approach, let alone talk to when she
was like this. Perks of living with someone who has super hearing is of course
they can hear everything, even if they’re not in the same room as you.
“So, Karen,” he started while combining butter, mustard, onions, poppy seeds
and dill seed in a bowl, “Kris and her band would like to use my old home as a
practice place, at least for now until they can find something better.
There was no response, just the distant sound of a shower running. “I’d like to
help, but isn’t the electricity taken off? You think we could- I don’t know,
turn it back on and get Kris to pay for it?”
Douglas turned the oven on to 250 degrees and listened for a moment, though as
expected there was no response. “Anyways, just take your time and we can talk
when you’re done.”
He finished setting up the sandwiches and added a bowl of tomato soup as a side
dish. It might be a mistake to cook while he was as hungry as he was, but he
was gambling on that Karen would pinch in if needed. Hopefully her bad mood
didn’t affect her apatite. With the sandwiches baking in the oven, Douglas
stirred the soup when Karen came back from the shower. Drying her hair with a
towel, Karen had a pale pink bathrobe loosely tied around her waist, showing
off a very generous amount of cleavage. She walked over to the oven and
squatted down, smelling the cheese and ham sandwiches before looking up at
Douglas. It was rare and strange that their perspectives were for once
reversed. For the most part Douglas was the one that looked up to Karen,
whether she stood flat on the floor or hovered over him in midair.
“That was new,” she said rising back to her full height, “talking to yourself
like that. Guess that means you’re starting to get used to it here. Used to
me.”
“I figured why not?” he shrugged, averting his eyes in worry that any sneak
glances might set off a landmine of bad mood.
“Why don’t we talk upstairs?”
“Yeah, sure. I’ll- join you as soon as this is done,” he gestured towards the
oven, “a couple of minute’s tops.”
Balancing soup, sandwiches and a couple of glasses of milk on a tray, Douglas
braved the stairway up to the second floor. Karen had been kind enough to leave
the doors wide open, a gesture he hoped was a sign that her mood was improving.
Karen stood by one of the windows in the living room, looking out at the back
yard, the towel hanging around her neck as she held on to both ends. As Douglas
took a turn towards the sofa, he could smell the moment he’d deviated from
Karen’s trail when the fresh smell of her shampooed hair disappeared. For a
moment Douglas ate, alternating between soup and sandwich for each mouthful as
he patiently waited for Karen to speak up. She stood by the window silently
lost in thought, tilting her head a little as she traced a bird heading for one
of the many trees that were behind the manor.
“So, you want to help out Kris,” Karen said, sliding the towel off her neck.
“I figured I might as well, it’s not like I’m using the house, right?”
She walked over to the sofa, spinning the towel around in one hand, “Do you
have the hots for Kris?”
Douglas spluttered with his milk, putting the glass down and reached for a
napkin. “Wha- Where did that come from?”
“Nowhere,” she stopped in front of him, her stance broad. “Do you?”
“No,” he shrunk back into the sofa, “she’s a good friend sure, but not- we’re
not like that. She’s not my type.”
“Mm-hmm,” she didn’t sound convinced as she slid one knee on the sofa and
straddled him. “What is your type then?”
“Uh… blondes?” he squirmed a little in his seat underneath her weight.
Cracking half a smile in the corner of her mouth Karen said, “Nice save,”
before she locked the towel around his neck and yanked him in for a kiss.
The kiss was firm and determined, a stark contrast to previous kisses whom had
been both soft and affectionate. She slipped her tongue past his lips, bruising
against his teeth before turning counter clockwise around the tip of his. A
warm breeze of breath tickled over his nose and cheek, her slow and deep
breaths sounded like someone indulging themselves to their favorite treat after
putting it off for far too long. The soft, slightly wet fabric of the towel
scraped over his neck as it got pulled aside before large, firm hands coiled
their fingers around his wrists. With an impatient guidance that would not take
no for an answer, his hands were slipped underneath her bathrobe, urging him to
massage her breasts.
His palms pressed against her soft bosom, more on her insistence than his
before he gave in and cast a wide net with his fingers, feeling her as much as
his hands allowed. Her skin was warm to the touch and felt a little more oily
like than usual, letting his hands caress her with less friction as excess
breast poked up between his fingers. Satisfied with his renewed enthusiasm, she
let go of his wrists and broke off the kiss with a wet smack, arching backwards
a little. The last he saw before she removed his glasses was her sleepy
expression, melted with sensual indulgence and her cleavage rising and shifting
underneath his hands. With just a blurry and out of focus skin pink silhouette
for reference, his other senses took up the slack and it didn’t take long
before the texture of her skin became more prominent, the early hints of her
womanly sent started to peek through the mist of her shampoo and lotion, along
with the teasing sounds of the sofa groaning underneath them.
Her back arched and twisted from side to side, alternating between working
together and against the movement of her hips. A sudden flick of his wrists
knocked against her bathrobe, making it slide off her shoulders and rest around
her elbows in a soft fluff. She drew a sharp breath and raised her shoulders as
her skin perked up with the distinguishable texture of goosebumps. Melting the
tense shoulders away, she rested her forearms on his shoulders, leaning in for
a kiss. This time around it was soft and gentle, the skin just next to her lips
tasting a little sour from her skin lotion. His hands slid across her oily
skin, a watered down sensation as the first drops of sweat started mingle with
the lotion, cupping her shoulder blades he pressed her chest against his face.
Humoring him, she put some more weight on her knees, raising her breasts to the
ideal height before she gave her shoulders a few shakes.
Soft sounding smacks managed to slip past their bodies as the insides of her
breasts slapped against his chin. A snicker escaped his lips as a clever little
idea presented itself in his mind. Shaping his hands into talons, he used his
nails to draw five tracks from her spine and around to the sides of her
breasts. She let out a surprised gasp that flowed into an approving purring
sound as his fingers trekked along her skin. Burying his face in her cleavage,
he pressed against the sides of her breasts and took a deep breath before he
blew a long and loud raspberry. Squirming with fidgeting arms and smacking him
lighting on the top of his head in playful protest, she let out a hearty laugh
that reached every corner of the living room. Coming up for air, he looked up
at her with his chin still lost inside her cleavage, smiling. Her lips slightly
parted, shifting underneath her breath, she returned his smile with one filled
with warm affection and happiness. They held their eyes together for a blissful
moment before hers faded into a clever hunger.
Supporting herself with one hand against the wall, she pulled her hair behind
her ear before her hand dived down between them. Her fingers started slow and
patient, undoing his pants until his zipper decided to stop cooperating about
halfway down. An annoyed grunt rumbled in the back of her mouth as she tucked
at the fabric, forcing the zipper open through sheer force. The delicate touch
returned as the tip of her fingers teased the bulge in his underwear, drawing a
gentle line up and down its length with a fingernail. A thumb slipped
underneath the elastic band, pulling it out a few inches before she let it go
with a satisfying smack. He flinched for a second, letting his hands return the
favor by loosely scratching horizontal lines across her abs. Pulling back, she
rested her weight on his thighs before pulling the underwear out of the way,
locking the uncooperative elastic band underneath his balls.
Undoing the belt on her bathrobe, she let it slide off and tucked it underneath
his thighs before she leaned in for another string of kisses. Holding him by
the base, she raised her hips and guided him inside of her with a slow sinking
motion, stopping and backtracking a small inch every now and then. They exhaled
slowly as he was fully inside of her, touching each-others most sensitive
parts. Locking her arms around his neck, she shifted her weight around ever so
gently, the slow and soft movements tingled and teased from new angles.
Brushing a strain of blonde hair out of the way, his eyes locked with hers.
Their breaths washing against each other faces like soft waves on a pacific
beach. A string of fingers traced the curves of her back, stroking the length
of her spine as if painting. Moaning approvingly, she tasted his tongue, lips
and chin. His lips in turn traced from the tip of her ear lobe, down the side
of her neck as far as his reach would let him.
She straightened up, her arms sliding behind his back, hugging him close to
her. Just as he returned her embrace, her hips started to grind with a sudden
and impatient pace. The unexpected change of speed and intensity took him by
surprise, his wide eyes tried to read an explanation off her face. Her face
betrayed only a determined pleasure as her lovely blue eyes were shut close and
a few teeth peeked out as they bit down on her lower lip. Pressure was building
up, he could feel the familiar tension and tingling in his lower spine. His
hands tried first to press down on her hips, hoping she’d take it as a hint to
stop or at the very least pace herself. Her skin already oily from the lotion
and made more slippery thanks to damp sweat just made his hands slip off,
unable to get a strong enough grip. Opting for a different approach, he rubbed
his hands as clean as he could on his pants and cupped her butt cheeks with a
loud smack.
Drawing a sharp breath and holding it, she froze dead in her tracks for a small
second before slowly sliding down his length, puzzled. She looked at him, a
drop of sweat drew a wet line down her temple. Taken aback by her reaction, his
mind went blank and his hands withdrew from her butt. As his mind did a partial
reboot, he started pressing against her, as if he was trying to rise from the
sofa. He supported himself with one arm while his free hand tried to move the
bathrobe so he could sit on it fully. Looking down to her left and right, she
quickly caught on what he wanted to do and suddenly felt light like a feather.
With her still sitting on his lap, he rose up a small inch and moved the
bathrobe in as a makeshift towel. Guess there are some perks dating a woman
that can defy gravity at will. Wait, where they strictly speaking even dating?
The thought was left unexplored as her hand folded around the back of his head
and pushed him for another kiss. Free from her embrace, his arms and hands were
allowed to move with more freedom, exploring the texture and curves of her
well-shaped frame. Warm, with an oily slippery to it, his hands tasted her;
pressing, stroking and caressing a body that was alternating between hard and
firm as a bedrock, to humanly soft. She resumed her grind, stroking and
squeezing his length, pressing forward and backward, turning clockwise three
quarters of the way. Her pace still had that impatient movement to it. As much
as he’d appreciated the small timeout they had, it didn’t take long before he
felt the same pressure building up. His hands left the warm skin of her back
and thighs, instead fishing for the bathrobe he sat on, coiling the fabric
between his fingers and pressing down in an effort to hold back. It proved to
be a futile effort on his part.
 
===============================================================================
 
Douglas stood in the shower, the air warm and damp from the hot water raining
down on him. This was the fourth time he’d scrubbed himself down in soap,
focusing intently on his groin. Resting his forehead against the glass door, he
looked at the transparent reflection of his face. Rewinding his memory, he went
over any detail he could recall following his climax. It had felt great,
fantastic even, yet at the same time it was this screaming anti-climax. Not
like in the movies where the Apollo launch illustrates the rising tension and a
wide, colorful range of fireworks drives home the point of the actual climax
and release. Given who his partner was, you’d expect the imagery to be a
nuclear bomb going off, complete with lots of colors and the ever iconic
mushroom cloud. But no, if anything it came along the lines of a firecracker
misfiring and just embarrassingly sizzled away to a thin line of smoke.
Karen, for all her skills in keeping up a façade, was showing cracks in her
exterior. Or at least, that’s what Douglas thought he saw when they were both
winding down. Maybe she just didn’t want to talk about it, but she avoided the
apparent elephant in the room by changing the subject. It was either clean up,
or take a shower, or he was told not to worry. Biting down on the fingernail on
his pinky, Douglas let out a sigh that rumbled with frustration. Karen didn’t
strike him as the type that would just turn on her heel, say “fuck you, got
mine” and kick him out. The taste of her kisses, the looks in her eyes and the
affection he felt in everything she did when they made love was compelling
evidence that it wasn’t the case. Regardless, this time he’d pressed the
subject a little too hard and Karen’s mood took a nosedive as a result.
“Idiot,” he said under his breath before he swiped at the reflection.
With his own mood on the wrong side of grumpy street, Douglas dried up and
sulked in his room. Outside he could hear the lawnmower rearing up and driving
up and down. Karen seemed to have opted to burn away her own bad mood through
something productive. He leaned back in his chair, rocking a little back and
forth against the springs, his eyes not really looking at the streak of
sunlight that slashed across the ceiling. Straightening up, Douglas patted down
on his pants for his phone and fished it out of one of the pockets before he
dialed Eddie. Karen might overhear, she might not, either way it was a chance
Douglas was willing to take.
“Hey, Ed-”
“OH MY GOD! Have you seen the news man?!”
Douglas jerked in his seat, pulling the phone away from his ear, “No, no Eddie
can’t say I have. What’s got you so rattled?”
“Power Girl bro, P-O-W-E-R G-I-R-L.”
“Right, I should have guessed,” Douglas glanced out the window and smiled as he
saw Karen truck away with the lawnmower. “So, what’s the latest of the mistress
of might?”
“Sh- she’s coming to school man, our shitty little school in West Point!”
He leaned in on his desk, a frown colored his face. “Oh? She decided to do the
FBI gun awareness campaign after all?”
“Yeah, yeah she to-” Eddie fell dead silent at the other end, “What do you mean
‘after all’? News broke just five minutes ago dude. Fed’s ain’t involved either
as far as I know. You got some sweet intel on PG that I don’t?”
A streak of cold sweat slithered down Douglas’ back like a nasty parasite just
beneath his skin. “Uh… no, not really? I’m still at the grass root level as far
as Power Girl fan’s go,” a nervous laugh twisted itself into a fake cough.
“Yeah…? Well, whatever dude. This is huge man, she’s gonna be there, like in
the flesh, talking!”
Sounds of creaking furniture and what sounded like legs kicking something
almost made Douglas miss out on Eddie’s girl like squeal. Eddie went on a
massive torrent of a rant about how he would have to make sure to document
everything and how this was the biggest day of his life, ever. While for the
most part Douglas just sat there listening to his friend vent out his delight,
much like a parent humors a child on Christmas Eve, he did try to put the
brakes on Eddie’s enthusiasm just a little bit. He even pulled Eddie’s leg a
few times, saying that he was lucky Power Girl didn’t arrive when it was time
for Eddie’s annual cabin trip with his dad. As important these trips were for
father and son to bond, Eddie was crystal clear that he’d drop it all just to
be able to be in the same room as Power Girl.
“Guess your experience with PG won’t be so exclusive after this, huh?” Eddie
said.
“Eh… debatable, but we can take that another time,” Douglas tried to keep his
smile from reaching Eddie.
“Say, you wanted something or just need to talk? Kinda went off a tangent
there.”
Douglas’ mind snapped and rewind back to why he’d called Eddie in the first
place. “Right, uh, the thing is- Kris’ band will be using my house to jam, but
I think they’ll need some help moving their stuff. Up for it?”
“Yeah, sure I’m cool with it.”
 
===============================================================================
 
“I’m sorry to say that Mr. Herbert had to leave early because his son got sick,
so there will be no English class today,” the school counselor told Douglas’
class the following day. Needless to say, it was received as a blessing from
the utopian kingdoms of the high heavens by the class. Not every day that the
final class for the day gets shaved off.
Rather than going home and lull around, Douglas caught a bus hand headed over
to West Point. He, Eddie and Kris had agreed to meet after school to get the
drums, guitars, base and a few miles worth of cables moved into Douglas’ place.
There was still plenty of time before the meet, so Douglas swung by the sweet
shop just across his old school. A cold ice cream would do well in the growing
summer heat. Wouldn’t be long before summer vacation kicked in, just endure the
finals and they were home free. Tracking a plane across the blue skies above,
Douglas nipped on his ice cream and wondered if he and Karen would do something
special for the summer of if they’ll simply stay home. As if living under the
same roof with Power Girl as her lover wasn’t special enough. The thought stuck
in his mind like a sticky piece of gum. Maybe he should get some sort of
clarification about just what their relationship were. Mother, son sort of, or
lovers, or maybe just friends with benefits?
Finishing his ice cream, Douglas decided to visit the school library and read a
book while he waited for classes to finish. All of the school was gathered in
the gym hall, listening to Power Girl’s gun safety awareness speech. Aside from
her voice coming over the speakers, you couldn’t hear a thing. Douglas peeked
through the window of the door to the gym, seeing students and teachers giving
Power Girl their full attention. She really did have that kind of presence, he
thought to himself as he shifted his eyes away from Power Girl and tried to
spot Eddie or Kris in the crowd. He couldn’t make them out, though it was
possible that they sat behind one of the TV crews, both local and national
channels had showed up for the occasion.
“-so it is important to remember that guns are not tools and certainly not
toys. They’re weapons and should be treated with the respect they demand.”
Power Girl paused to take a sip from a glass of water. “With that being said,
thank you very much for your time.”
Thunderous applause broke the silence, teachers rising up for standing ovation
and the students followed suit. Power Girl smiled and waved at them before
turning her microphone over to one of the school staff, gesturing that she
didn’t quite understand how to turn it off. She exchanged pleasantries with the
counselor and principal before students along with the TV reporters saw their
chance to get a minute of her time. Some students however saw this as their
chance to shave off a precious few minutes of their hard earned freedom.
Sitting on a wooden bench isn’t really all that comfortable and all the ‘cool
kids’ wanted to go outside to catch a smoke anyway, so they slipped out the
back door and into the parking lot. From what Douglas could tell, Power Girl
humored the students with some autographs and selfies while kindly turning down
the reporters efforts to get additional comments. Some men in suits cut through
the crowd, caught Power Girl’s attention and ushered her towards the wardrobe,
closing the door behind them.
As the gym hall started to thin out, Douglas saw his chance to slip in and look
for Kris and Eddie. Peering around and sliding past mingling students, he
spotted Kris by the back door, texting on her phone. His phone chimed in,
letting him know that he received a text message as he walked over to her,
still looking for Eddie. Meeting up with Kris, she told him that they’d have to
wait a little for her band mates had gone to the bathroom. When he asked her
what she thought about Power Girl, Kris shrugged indifferently. She was cool
and all that, but like whatever, right? It made Douglas wonder what it would
take for Kris to be star-struck. Probably some indie musician that he hadn’t
heard off. As the janitors started collecting chairs and benches, Douglas
spotted Eddie in the crowd and waved him over.
“Holy shit! That was so awesome!” Eddie had a grin wide and long enough to put
Jupiter’s equator to shame. “I- I- can’t believe it, that was her!”
“Need me to slap that shit eating grin off your face, just to make sure you’re
not dreamin’?” Kris popped a gum in her mouth and chewed on it, shaking her
head at Eddie’s behavior.
“Now, now Kris. Be nice and let him have this moment,” Douglas cut, it felt
good to be among the friendly shit throwing banter between friends.
“She was so BIG and tall and- and biiiiiiig,” Eddie gestured with his arms and
hands, leaving little doubt what he thought was big about Power Girl.
Kris rolled her eyes, “Oh Christ, jerk it out will you?”
“Oh I will, thanks to Timmy lending me his camera we’re talking fappin’
triathlon, destination nirvana,” he held out a hand held camera as if it was a
precious jewel.
“RIP Eddie Kaplin, he died doin’ what he loved; fappin’ his dick off after
being blue balled by Power Girl,” Kris ended her remark with a grin that popped
her gum bubble.
Douglas stole a sideways glance over at the wardrobe door on the far end of the
gym. With Kris and Eddie bantering in the background, his thoughts traveled
along a route that made him realize a new side of Karen. Thanks to her super
hearing, Karen heard more than she often bargained for. This realization cast
her reclusive human life in new light and Douglas was surprised that Eddie
didn’t show any consideration, given he was such a big fan. Surely he knew
about the super hearing and that Power Girl was literary in the room next door.
Granted there was a wall and the full length of a gym hall between them and
her, but even so. Douglas was about to tell Eddie to show some restraint when
the wardrobe door opened.
Power Girl spoke with the men in suit with a low, hushed voice. The men in
return checked their watches while she helped herself with another serving of
water. Douglas wanted to shush Eddie and Kris outside to give Power Girl some
space, but before he could speak up, Kris’ band friends made a large and loud
announcement of their arrival through the main entrance. True enough as
everyone turned to see who was making the ruckus, Eddie spotted Power Girl and
looked like he would die a happy young man. Kris waved her friends over and as
Eddie mustered the courage to walk over to Power Girl with Douglas tagging
along. It wasn’t until they were half across the gym hall that Douglas wondered
why he stuck to Eddie like glue. Power Girl was hardly a damsel in distress
that needed saving. If anything she was well versed in dealing with fans, even
the ones that danced on the line of creepiness.
She gave her suited colleagues, for the lack of a better term, a nod that
dismissed them before raising an eyebrow of interest at Eddie and Douglas.
“What can I do for you two?”
“Uh- y-y- the thing- I mean…” Eddie fumbled with his words, all his bravado
gone like morning dew under the desert sun, leaving a stuttering fool.
“My friend missed out and was wondering if you’d let us take a picture,”
Douglas chimed in. Eddie held his face in anticipation of her reply.
“Sure, why not?” Power Girl gave a light shrug of her shoulders. “Got a
camera?”
“My cell has one, if I could just figure how to access it,” Douglas pulled out
his phone. “Why don’t you get yourself ready, Eddie?”
Eddie looked over his shoulder, face white as bedsheets from a washing machine
commercial, eyes ready to either explode or just pop straight out their
sockets. Douglas just shooed him over with his hand while he navigated the menu
on his phone. Standing right next to his big idol, Eddie was stiff as an ice
pick when Douglas took the picture. He gave Power Girl a quick smile and a
thumbs up. She wished them a good day and asked for directions to the teacher’s
lounge. The star-struck Eddie still couldn’t putt two letters together, so
Douglas told her to go out the main entrance, up the first flight of stairs and
do a 180 degree turn to the right. A glove clad hand almost reached out and
touched him, but she stopped herself and made a recovery by adjust her hair
instead. As the two teenagers looked on to Power Girl, Douglas was happy that
she had an open enough mind to humor Eddie despite all the things he’d said.
When the door closed and Power Girl was out of view, Eddie grabbed Douglas by
the shoulders and said, “Dude, marry me?”
“Shut up Eddie,” Douglas brushed off his hands, “you were heading straight for
disaster. What would you have done if I wasn’t there? Drool all over the
floor?”
“How the hell can you be so fuckin’ calm bro?!” Eddie flayed with his arms,
pointing at the closed doors. “That- that was Power Girl man! Mistress of
motherfuckin’ might, sexiest babe in the history of ever and you- you were all
chill and shit?!”
Douglas started walking back to Kris, “It’s no big deal. She’s just another
person behind all those bells and whistles.”
“DAAAAAAAAMN! You have changed bro! Oh- oh- oh! You’re totally sending me that
picture right?!” Eddie was practically worshipping the ground Douglas was
walking on.
“No worries, but you do know you owe me for this, right?”
“Do I EVER! Like holy donkey balls, whatever you need man, I’ve got it.”
Eddie got introduced to the band members and they all stuffed themselves into a
beaten up pick-up truck that had seen better days. They drove to the garage
where the band had their gear, loaded up the truck and even managed to avoid
any drama with the ex-vocalist. As they drove past the school again on their
way to Douglas’, no one really noticed that Power Girl was standing by the
window in the teacher’s lounge, arms crossed over her chest as her eyes
carefully tracked the truck. Her blue iris grew to a faint glow as the truck
cruised down the street. The neutral look on her face shifted to a disapproving
annoyance when Power Girl saw Douglas stuffed between Kris and another girl.
As soon as they were done unloading the truck, Eddie split to check his own
video as well as the recording of the news broadcast. Kris commented that the
reason Eddie ran so weird was because he had a raging boner that he didn’t know
what to do with. Douglas was offered a ride back home, but he declined. It was
a warm summer evening and he was long overdue for visiting his mother’s grave.
The walk would do him good and he’d catch a bite before heading back home. Kris
looked like she’d still press her offer, but before she could speak up her band
mates asked if she was coming along. Rather than following the road, Douglas
choose to walk along the side of the Ohio River like he and his mother used to
do. They used to walk along the river and turn inwards to the town when they
reached the docks. Sometimes they even picked up some candy or ice cream from
the sweet shop on their way home.
“Where are you off to?” a voice called after him, coming from above.
Looking up and squinting in the sunlight, Douglas saw the shadowy silhouette of
Power Girl, her cape fluttering in the breeze. “Just a trip down memory lane
and a visit to my mom.”
“Right,” she landed in front of him, “you haven’t seen her tomb stone yet, have
you?”
“No, figured I might as well since I’m in the neighborhood and all.”
“Can I join you?” her tone was soft and almost timid, it reminded Douglas of
how she used to talk to him when they first met while his mother was in the
hospital.
“Sure you can.”
***** Lost in Lust *****
Chapter Summary
     Douglas and Power Girl loose themselves to lust for one another after
     he finally manages to bring her to orgasm. Power Girl starts becoming
     irrational in matters involving Douglas, revealing a shocking new
     side of herself.
For the last day at school before the vacation graced the students with its
lovely presence, Douglas didn’t really pay much attention. His mind was
elsewhere. No matter how many times Karen assured him that she’d rather have a
child than orgasm, it felt wrong. Sure, the child was their long term goal, but
should they forfeit any short-term goals by default? There was no way around
it; research was required. Now the adult logic would be to simply approach your
partner and ask what makes them tick, then take it from there. That option
constantly got shoved aside thanks to Karen dismissing it as a non-issue before
he could even finish the sentence. Figuring it was worth a shot and less
embarrassing, Douglas headed to the school library after the last class of the
day was over. He'd just quietly browse some relevant books and then head home.
When he arrived at the library, it was just as he'd hoped for. The place was
pretty much completely deserted. Douglas paced up and down the various aisles,
looking for anything that might be relevant. First stop was biology and after
looking at the colorful cross sections that mapped out the inner workings of a
vagina, it gave him at least a starting point.
Browsing the web on his phone proved to be a real pain, but at least it gave
him access to a wide range of different approaches. On the flip side, Douglas
realized that quality and quantity rarely skip down the street, happily hand in
hand. There were contradictions, good advice, shitty advice and flat out
terrible advice posted by trolls. Long story short, while there are general
rules of thumb, each woman has her own likes and dislikes. The best approach is
to talk about it and experiment until you find something that works for both of
you. Douglas would probably sit in the school library for days on end, as he
often got in ‘the zone’ when he was digging around for information, though when
his phone started ringing it was as if reality was thundering on his front
door.
“H-hey Kris, wh- uh, what’s up?” he cleared his throat, trying to mentally
shift gears from the ABC of masturbation to whatever Kris wanted to talk about.
“Douglas, you remember Madison from junior high? Well, she reached out to me
after I posted a massive rant on Facebook and offered to hook the band up with
some gigs.”
“Madison? As in, uh, wha- Shawn, Madison Shawn?” he got up from the chair and
collected up his books, pinching the phone between his shoulder and ear.
“Didn’t she move to Mexico after her father remarried?”
“Bing, bong! Ten points to Mr. Sutherland,” Kris said, by the sound of it she
was by the train station. “I’ve talked to the girls and they’re cool with it,
so… we kinda need to leave our stuff at your place over the summer. Is that…
okay with you?”
Douglas slipped the last book into the shelf, “Hang on Kris, you guys are going
to Mexico?”
“Yeah, isn’t great?! It’s just for three weeks, but holy shit this is my dream
Doug. Finally!”
“Way too much for my stomach, but you’re not me,” he said, looking over the
table for one last time to make sure he hadn’t forgotten anything. “Yeah, it
shouldn’t be a problem. Just be careful, alright?”
“Oh I will. Don’t wanna to end up on the front page as the latest damsel saved
by Power Girl,” he could practically hear her face wide grin through the phone.
“Thanks Doug, you’re the best ever.”
 
===============================================================================
 
Coming back from school, Douglas went straight to the bathroom and started
exploring the various cupboards. He was certain that he’d seen it around here
somewhere, unless of course his eyes had played tricks on him and it was just a
glorified shampoo or lotion instead. Of course it was in the last place he
looked, but at least he found it; a purple labeled bottle with an olive oil
like content. Putting down the toilet seat, Douglas sat down and read the
label. Do these things expire? Is there a reason why Karen haven’t used this
yet? Hopefully it wasn’t due to an allergic reaction; that would be horrible.
Reading the label certainly made it sound promising. Body Boudoir Body Dew
Silky Feeling Sassy Body Oil revitalizes your skin, and its feisty fragrance
pairs fresh pepper and bergamot for an outstanding effect. Feelin' Sassy Body
Oil also contains pheromones; you'll exude a confident, sensual energy. It's a
fast way to gain a little more sex appeal, and the pheromones don't overwhelm
the playful scent. Pheromones in a bottle, what a time to be alive. He squished
out a small doze and rubbed it between his fingers, smelling it. Yeah, this
could work. Puffing out some air to psyche himself up, Douglas left to find
Karen.
Karen stood in her walk-in wardrobe, folding clothes before putting them away
when Douglas found her. She caught him in the corner of her eye and gave him a
faint smile, her hands busy. Putting the hands in his pockets and resting
against the door frame, Douglas felt like he’d swallowed a whole anthill. The
crawling feeling that tingled from deep inside his gut boiled and bubbled,
rising as he kept toying with his idea. All in all it a silly thing to feel
like this when weighing the options, considering the possible outcomes. Knowing
that didn’t stop Douglas’ mouth from feeling dry and his nerves tense as piano
strings. As for Karen, she kept folding clothes without a care or worry in the
world. If she’d noticed Douglas slight discomfort, she didn’t show it. He took
in the sight of her, the woman in his life, with some faint hope it would calm
him down. She wore a long green colored gilet, washed out black high waist
denim shorts and a grey crop top that fittingly had the text ‘believe & make it
happen’ written in black across her chest.
Puffing out a mouthful of air, Douglas mustered a ball of courage and walked up
behind her. Hesitant at first, considering to turn tail and save it for another
day, the tip of his fingers bruised softly against her upper arms. Karen paused
mid folding, half glanced over her shoulder with a curiously baffled shine to
her eyes. No response was a good thing, or at the very least it was better than
her pulling away. A little more courage was made manifest by the initial
success and Douglas grew a little bolder. With loose hands, he used his fingers
like the long side of a brush, slowly and steadily tracing Karen’s arms from
the top of her shoulders down to her elbows. The sweater she’d been folding
landed on the floor with a soft fluff and her hands rested dead at her side.
Poking his forehead against her tall, broad back, he said, “I want to do
something for you today. S-something special, if- if you’ll just- uh, humor
me?”
In his mind he was kicking himself for sounding so lame, though when he looked
up at her, she stood perfectly still. A faint sniff escaped her before her
shoulders shivered and her hand landed over his. He felt a light squeeze on the
top of his fingers, the tension that had him balancing on a razors edge lifted
and for a fleeting moment he felt like a billion, trillion dollars. It didn’t
take many seconds before the consequences of her approval meant and the tension
started cranking and twisting inside him all over again. He started by sliding
the gilet off her shoulders, it landed neatly around her feet as his fingers
coiled over her shoulders. Pressing down, he was careful not to use his nails
and massaged the back as well as either side of her neck. The back of her head
swayed softly form side to side as she drew a deep breath that came out as a
melted sigh of released tension.
The hair on her arms stood up while she wrapped them around her stomach as if
she was trying to hold on to the very moment itself. He ran his hands over her
shoulders, down her strong arms with a firm grip and found one of her hands.
Drawing in his breath, his fingers locked on to hers and he pulled her towards
the bed, making her do a slow pirouette. By the edge of the bed, he slide the
crop top off her shoulders, baring her full breasts. She remained passive,
trusting herself to him and only shifting her pose to step out of her clothes.
Inviting her to lie with him, he had her on her side and kissed her neck while
pushing her lovely blonde hair aside. With a soft, yet determined hand he had
her roll over to her stomach and oiled his hands with massage oil he’d found in
the bathroom earlier.
His hands spread out wide, starting with her shoulder blades and tracing down
until his fingers just slipped underneath her shorts. When he backtracked with
his hands, the nails came into play and teasingly scraped along her spine. A
sigh seamlessly melded with a sensual moan told him he was right on track as
her back grew soft underneath his palms. She let out a surprised oh when he
pressed against her back with his cat paw shaped hands, using his knuckles to
reach deeper insider her. As he moved around for a better angle, he paused and
kissed her lower back. Straddling her thighs, he pressed his thumbs down
against her spine, while letting his fingers spread like wide wings that
stroked her sides. A soft laugh rang for a second as he reached her armpits,
encouraging him to lean in to steal a kiss on her cheek.
Trekking back down, his hands retraced their path until they slipped underneath
her breasts, the tip of his fingers barely missing her belly button. A groan,
coated with a curious approval made her raise her hips a little when his thumbs
made their slightly awkward slip inside her shorts. Undoing the top button took
some fiddling, though a pleasant bonus was her rich laugh from the unintended
tickling. He shifted a little to the side as he gently pulled the shorts and
panties down her full thighs, leaving them on the floor beside the bed. Hawking
a little, he took a few deep breaths; now to leave somewhat familiar territory
and charge into the unknown. Stretching in the bed, she raised herself up a
little, resting her weight on her elbows before she looked over at him with
curious eyes.
Pulling back the sleeves of his shirt, he rubbed hands together with a fresh
batch of massage oil, which he then used to stroke the insides of her thighs.
When his hands stroked with a firm, yet gentle and steady rhythm, she drew a
sharp breath through her teeth as his touch got close to her sex. Tracing the
curves of her inner thighs, up, over and along her butt cheeks, the tip of his
oil coated fingers left her skin like brushes from a canvas. Crawling around on
all fours, he laid down next to her; their eyes locked before hiding behind
smiles as the tip of their noses bobbed together. Their lips tasted each other,
moist and leading tongues explored and invited one another. Placing a hand on
her shoulder, he leaned in and she yielded as his kisses pressed her to roll
over on her back.
Her face was blushed with a sensual pink that spread down her neckline, her
lips parted as her low and excited breath made her chest rise and sink. Sealing
her lips with his, he rested by her right side as his hand inched downwards. A
pair of fingers made a few circles around her belly button before gliding down
further, the soft ruffles of her hair telling him he was close. Her knees rose
and her hips twisted in a weak protests, her moans muffled by his long kiss.
Feeling his way with a soft, gentle touch his middle finger found her lips and
slid past them. The most warmth pressed against his hand whenever her hips
squirmed and a small point stood out against his palm. Their kiss broke, her
head arched backwards enough for her ear to get mushed against her shoulder.
She drew her breath through her teeth, the hissing reminiscent of a snake
competed against the creaking bed sounds.
She dripped down on his fingers, something he took as an invitation for his
ring finger. Eyes grew wide and she tensed every muscle for a second before
melting back down into the bed. His fingers pressed up, careful at first. Once
the tip of his fingers had explored their immediate surroundings, he rested the
base of his palm on her clit; adding a soft pillow of pressure. Deep in the
lower back of her throat, a groan rumbled with a primal hunger for more as her
thighs clamped down around his wrist. Wiggling his hand some room to maneuver,
he started to make a circular motion with a whole hand. Taking his cue from how
she’d grinded her hips when she’d straddled him, he altered between clock and
counter clockwise, shifting speed and intensity.
Rapid panting filled the room, her arms coiled and arced along the bed like
tense snakes and the movements of her hips welcomed his hands. She started to
shrink together, hiding her face behind the back of her hands when a high
pitched kitten like squeal managed to slip past her crumbling defenses. Still
massaging her clit with his palm, he bent his middle finger, making a 'come
here' gesture. Suddenly without warning her foot shot up towards the ceiling
before it came down just as fast like a sledgehammer, her heel puncturing a
hole in the bedside table. The loud crash and unexpected violent response made
him retreat his hand in reflex. For several long minutes, the room was silent
save the sound of heavy breathing before her contagious laughter started
rolling in.
“So… I take it that’s, uh, normal?” Douglas asked.
Karen looked up, resting her weight on her elbows, her blushed face coated with
a thin layer of sweat. “Yea- no, not really. It was just… unexpected, in a lot
of ways.”
“Good, that’s good,” he said, sniffing his fingers lightly. “You had me scar-”
She threw her crop top at him, “Stop smelling you perv!” her tone had a thin
veil of disgust to it, though her playful smile showed no offence taken.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
There was a noticeable change to Karen the following days; she became more
playful and she seemed to be brimming with joy. It became even more obvious
when Douglas mentioned that Kris was not only out of town, she was out of the
country. There was this hunger in her eyes, it felt like she was stalking
Douglas with her gaze at every turn. If a chance presented itself for her to
cuddle, stroke or touch him, she practically pounced at it. When agent Reese
advised Karen to lay low, since her critics were on a serious roll thanks to
the Vegas shooting, her response was a grin wider than the Grand Canyon and a
thumbs up. She and Douglas settled into a routine where they’d sleep in a few
extra hours, have breakfast, get the boring chores out of the way and then
leisure away the remainder of the day. It didn’t take many days before they
discarded retreating to their respective bedrooms for the night, so Douglas
would start wake up in the guest room bed with Karen’s arm folded over him.
“Morning Karen,” he said, kissing the back of her hand.
“Mmm… did you start the washing machine last night?”
“Not sure, I thought you did?”
“Oh well, the sheets were just wet from sweat for the most part,” she rolled
over on her back, shielding out the morning sun with her hand. “It’ll come off
in the wash.”
Douglas swung his feet out of the bed, absentmindedly kicking a torn t-shirt
aside before he said, “What do you say to pizza for breakfast?”
“Leftovers from yesterday?” Karen blinked the sleep out of her eyes. “Yeah,
cold pizza and warm coffee should hit the spot.”
She slugged her tall frame over to the bathroom, picking up pieces of clothing
here and there while biting down a yawn. Douglas on the other hand looked
around for his boxers, only to find them with the fabric barely hanging on to
the rubber band. Bundling it together and tossing it into the trash like a
basketball, he wrapped Karen’s bathrobe around himself instead. As his arm slid
through the sleeve, he flinched and drew a sharp breath. His shoulder didn’t
like to move at certain angles it seemed. Most of his joints protested as he
climbed the stairs to the second floor and when he caught his reflection in the
window, Douglas couldn’t help but chuckle lightly. Give him a loose cap and dye
the bathrobe a different color and he’d look like Dopey from Snow White and the
Seven Dwarves. “Oh, right. Coffee, coffee,” he said before turning back
downstairs to the kitchen.
After cooking up a fresh batch of coffee, Douglas fumbled through the cabinets
for cups. He was too awake to go to bed, but at the same time too tired to do
anything constructive beyond a cheap zombie act. He helped himself with a cup
of coffee and took a sip. The initial reaction was searing hot, followed by a
god awful aftertaste. Pondering things over for a moment, he figured it would
be worth a shot to tone down the taste with some sugar. A couple of teaspoons
and a good stir later, the drink was still highly unappetizing. It made him
wonder how Karen, or anyone else for that matter, could stomach the stuff. With
the warm steam and rich aroma from the coffee swirling around his lips and
nose, another idea managed to catch his attention. Milk or a dash of cream
might help. Even adults use milk in their coffee, or at least some do. Another
taste and all Douglas could conclude was that coffee wasn’t his cup of tea. It
tasted even worse with milk, an odd contrast of cold and warm drink not
properly mixed, like oil and water. “I’m probably doing something wrong, but
I’m too tired to figure out what,” he let out a defeated sigh, “and I’m talking
to myself.”
Karen came in, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist. She gave
him a quick kiss on the cheek before helping herself with some coffee. She
cupped the jug, a sleepy smile on her face as she let the steam from the coffee
wash over her face. For what felt like a small hour they just stood there,
leaning against the kitchen counter, enjoying the quiet morning. “It’s a good
thing you don’t have any nearby neighbors,” Douglas said at last.
“Eh, it wasn’t that bad,” she waved a dismissive hand.
“Shouting ‘piston fuck me’ isn’t bad?”
Karen shrugged, hiding behind her coffee jug. “Y-yeah, okay. In hindsight was
bad, but it sounded appropriate at the time.”
 
===============================================================================
                                        
After breakfast, Karen took Douglas to the local gas station to give him the
run downs on how to fuel up the car. He’d opted for flip-flops, shorts and t-
shirt while she sported a trendy spaghetti strap black & white striped tank
top, along with a high-waisted denim skirt and some heeled sandals. A thing he
took notice of was that Karen turned a lot of heads initially, but they lost
interest and didn’t let their gaze linger. He speculated that it might be due
to her showing so much skin that her muscular build laid bare. It was certainly
not a look for everyone, despite the immediate appeal of a large pair of
breasts. Not that he was complaining, less competition and what not. That said,
Douglas admitted that it would have been pretty fun to watch Karen reject some
random guy hoping for a quick summer flirt. “Doug, are you listening?”
“Uh… no, not a word. Sorry.”
“Okay then, from the top,” she said, pointing at the gas pump.
They went through the steps one more time, with Douglas actually listening this
time around, before they paid and drove off. With Karen behind the wheel, they
drove to Muldraugh and swapped seats. Douglas followed Karen’s directions which
took them up and down small sideways, quiet neighborhoods and open trailer
parks. It wasn’t until they were on their way to a local grocery store for some
quick shopping and parallel parking practice that something actually noteworthy
happened. A police cruiser came up behind their car and flashed its siren to
make them pull over. Flustered and looking around nervously, Douglas’ hands
accidentally flipped both the windshield and the turn signal. Karen on the
other hand seemed to dismiss it as just another minor annoyance. “Calm down
Douglas, just pull over to the side here,” Karen pointed to the shoulder of the
road.
Douglas fidgeted in his seat, trying to look over his shoulder. “Wha-why… was
it something I did wrong?”
“Relax, deep breaths Doug,” Karen put her hand on his thigh. “Now, roll down
the window, put the car in neutral and have both your hands on the wheel. It’s
probably just a routine check or something.”
“G’day,” the police officer said, peeking through the side window. “Driver’s
license and registration please.”
Karen tilted her head forward, a polite smile on her face as she said, “Good
day officer, we’re practice driving. Mind if I get my license from my bag?”
The officer gave a short nod and after a quick search Karen handed him the
papers he’d requested. He looked them over before he excused himself back to
his car. Karen’s face betrayed subtle traces of annoyance as her eyes traced
the officer until he was out of sight. Douglas was about to speak up when she
raised a finger to her lips, prompting him to fall silent. A sharp scoff
escaped her before she turned forward, her arms crossed across her chest.
“Sexist pig…”
“Everything’s in order. Have a good one Ms. Starr,” the officer said, flashing
a toothy grin as he handed back the papers.
Karen just smiled a formal smile, her hands resting in her lap. After a brief
awkward pause Douglas picked up the papers and passed them over to her. The
officer mumbled something under his breath before leaving, Karen's eyes stabbed
his back with a myriad of daggers every step of the way.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Shopping for vegetables wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, but they
compensated with buying a couple of large watermelons for dessert. While
Douglas and Karen walked around the small shop and checked off the various
items on their list, he couldn't help but to notice that once again Karen had
the effect of turning people's heads. Raised eyebrows, mouthed 'hot damn' and
eyes with a hunger to them seemed to be the most common response. By the time
they've reached the cashier, the other customers had collected enough courage
to turn to whistling and catcalling. Tiny cracks and dents showed in Karen's
composure, though Douglas was convinced he only spotted it because he knew what
to look for.
“Hey sexy,” a man called after Karen as she and Douglas crossed the parking
lot, “you need help with 'em bags?”
Douglas glanced over his shoulder, “We're good, thanks.”
“Wasn't talkin' to you, kid.”
The man jogged lightly to catch up, blocking Karen's path. “Yes? Is there
something you want?” she said, tired of humoring yet another man-child.
“I want you to sit on my face.”
 “Why? Because your nose is bigger than your dick?” She scoffed at the man.
“Come along Doug, let's go home.”
Karen walked past the man, her shoulder bumping into his and started putting
the shopping bags into the car. Douglas on the other hand was quite dumbstruck.
Talk about gunning down a guy with words alone, heck that was more like blowing
him clean out of the sky. He'd always suspected that Karen knew a thing or two
about dealing with assholes and creeps, but seeing and hearing it play out in
real life was easily exceeding his expectations. The words 'well played' kept
running around inside his head like a carousel that was a feast to watch.
“Aww yeah?” It had taken a handful of seconds for the man to recover, but now
he was going in for round two. “You go home with your little doggie. Doggie
gonna get a treat? Hmm? You spread your legs and he licks?”
There was a cracking sound as if a rock suddenly snapped under pressure and
before Douglas could registered what had happened Karen was pinning the man
down, punching his face. Three punches in and Douglas dropped his bags, darted
over to Karen in a futile attempt to make her stop. He locked both arms around
hers as it came up for another punch, the touch of her arm made his gut feel
like a solid chunk of ice. Karen's arm lacked all the tender softness he'd
grown so familiar with. This was no arm, it was a massive flint rock carved
into the shape of an arm. Just when he made that connection, Douglas felt his
footing slip as he held on with every fiber of his being and he came along for
the ride as Karen landed another punch.
Dozens of tiny splatters of blood covered his glasses, his brain sloshed around
inside his skull. In the corner of his vision he spotted busy feet scrambling
close and shadows leaning in over Karen. Grunts, shouting, sobs, gurgled pleas
and foul language washed inside Douglas' ears like powerful waves from an angry
sea. There was almost a chilling consistency to the punches, like a blacksmith
banging a piece of stubborn iron into whatever shape was needed. Deliberate
punches with a clear and precise intent. Worst of all, they were not stopping.
Douglas rolled over, covering the man's bloody and battered face with his own.
“Karen! Stop!” their eyes met and Douglas blood turned to ice water fresh from
the arctic.
Those vibrant blue eyes, normally shifting between loving patience and warm
humor were gone. In their place were the eyes of a beast, one that furiously
tucked and pulled at whatever chains that held it back. He'd seen Karen angry
before, but not like this. Justified anger was tempered, controlled and
contained like a fireplace. This was not anger, it was rage black as coal. It
would shatter mountains and boil entire oceans away to deserts if given the
chance. At the sound of his voice and the look of his terrified face, Karen
froze, blood splattered fist raised high and trembling with tension. “Move,”
the word cracked past her teeth like a glacier.
“Jesus Christ Karen,” Douglas said, his arms trembled from an exotic cocktail
of adrenaline and fear, “you've won. Alright? P-point made, loud and clear- So-
so just... breathe, okay? Calm down.”
Tension melted away from Karen's body and finally the small crowd managed to
pull her away from the man. Douglas moved aside and looked down at the fruits
of Karen's assault. His face was swollen, bruised and bloodied, the gut
wrenching cries from deep behind his nose and throat sounded so surreal. Men
don't cry, at least not so openly and shamelessly. As a bystander cupped the
man's head, Douglas pulled off his t-shirt and bundled it together as an
improvised pillow. He clasped the man's shaking hand in both of his, a small
gesture to ensure safety and above all confirmation that the nightmare was
over. Outside the frames of his glasses, Douglas glanced over to where Karen
stood, defiant against the small group that chewed her out for what she'd done.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Karen sat on one side of the table, handcuffed hands resting in her lap,
Douglas and agent Reese on the other. Police had taken the two of them in and
at some point during the paperwork, agent Reese apparently got the wind of it.
Initially Douglas was quite impressed, then he realized that they weren't in
the thickest world metropolis, but in small time Muldraugh. News travels fast,
especially if you're looking for anything that involves a particular person and
it was safe to say agent Reese knew how to do his job. As for the interrogation
room, it was pretty much what you'd expect from a small town police station;
simple, barren and not seen a fresh coat of paint in at least 15 years. The
only furniture were hard wooden chairs that refused to let you find a
comfortable position that would last in the long run and a cold metallic table,
scratched and dented with an old post-it book underneath one leg for balance.
“First the good news, he's not pressing charges,” agent Reese said.
“Seriously?” Douglas said, his mind racing to connect a pair of elusive dots.
“He could sue her to the moon and back. Why on Earth-”
Agent Reese looked over at Karen, his eyes stern as he said, “Because someone
put the fear of God into that poor man.”
Douglas followed his gaze, though his eyes were neither stern nor hard. Instead
they showed a troubled mix of fear and awe. Karen looked down on her hands,
avoiding their eyes and judgment. The handcuffs clattered as she put her hands
on the table, absentmindedly plucking off flakes of dry blood from her hand,
crunching and spreading it between her fingers as if they were a fine spice.
Douglas swallowed and sunk back in his chair. This... thing on the other side
of the table was not Karen or at the very least it was a side of Karen he'd
never experienced before. Quite frankly he sincerely wished this would be a
one-time event, although that was one too many.
“Now then,” agent Reese straightened and folded his hands on the table, “what
the hell happened?”
Karen looked up for the first time, a glassy indifference shone in her eyes.
“Provoked. Lost temper. Attacked.”
Agent Reese rubbed his forehead as he spoke, “Seriously? You're no stranger to
catcalling.”
“Listen, agent Reese,” Douglas pursed his lips as he coaxed himself into the
conversation, “for what it's worth it wasn't until I got dragged into it th-”
“Douglas, be quiet,” her tone left little doubt that he was in way over his
head. “Wait outside.”
“But Kar-”
“Outside. Now,” Karen pointed at the door with both hands.
From outside in the hallway, Douglas looked at the blurry silhouettes of agent
Reese and Karen through the wire meshed window. Their voices were muffled as
the conversation went back and forth, seemingly increasing in volume. At some
point Karen slammed against the table and shot up from her chair, pacing the
room like a restless, caged animal. Agent Reese on the other hand remained calm
in his seat, Karen's tantrum had next to no effect on his composure. Feeling
the chill of the AC on his naked shoulders, Douglas headed outside to wait in
the warm summer sun. On his way out, he let the receptionist know who he was in
case agent Reese came looking for him.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
A small rainbow curved over the driveway as Douglas sprayed the side of the car
with the garden hose. With the whole car soaking wet, he went for the bucket
with warm soapy water and started to scrub away with a sponge. Busy hands ran
over the metal and glass, pausing only to get a fresh batch of water from the
bucket. With ear plugs playing an audiobook, Douglas didn't hear the black SUV
that dropped off Karen. The sight of her walking up to the manor made him
pause, he simply stood there while he wiped his hands dry.
“Long time no see,” he said, pulling out the ear plugs.
She looked at him, a tired face that showed hints of relief. “You're a sight
for sore eyes, sweetie.”
“So... where've you been the past two weeks?” As far as Douglas knew, Karen had
been picked by colleagues of agent Reese at the police station, no answers
given. A couple of police officers took Douglas home shortly afterwards. Since
then he'd been passing time by doing chores and reading books.
“Fort Knox,” Karen said, standing by the car and looking at her reflection on
the side window, “doing anger management therapy and some psychological
evaluation.”
“You're... rather calm about the whole thing. Something tells me this isn't the
first time-”
“No, Doug. Not it's not. They want to keep tabs on me, because who I am and
what I can do.” She drew a breath while looking up at the clear blue skies. “I
check in with them twice a year or so, chat with the doctors and they take
notes. Then we shake hands and go our merry way.”
Douglas picked up the garden hose and started washing the soap off the car. “So
you and agent Reese are cool now, right?”
“Ice cold. I need to take a shower, so see you in a bit,” she ran her finger
across her forearm while making a face. “Unless you want to join me.”
“No... Uh, I nee- should finish this off,” he gestured at the car. “Appreciate
the invitation though. Good to have you back Karen.”
“Great to be back sweetheart.”
After dutifully cleaning the car and packing away the watering hose, Douglas
glanced at the clock. He'd been at it for almost an hour and a half, so he had
more than enough of outdoor sunshine, especially the warm summer sun. The car
was conveniently parked in the shade, it was a warm, sunny day and the car did
have air condition. Maybe, just maybe a quick little break was due? Opening the
door, Douglas put the key in and turned on the air condition before he settled
into the backseat. With faint hints of cold air softly touching his skin,
Douglas felt like melting into the seats and end up in a puddle on the floor. A
light tapping on the window made him jolt in his seat, his head whirled around
as he tried to get his bearings. Karen’s muffled giggles could be heard from
the other side of the car window, Douglas shooting her an embarrassed pout with
his eyes while he straightened in his seat.
“Slept well?” she said as soon as she opened the door.
“Wha-? I dozed off?” Douglas fingers slipped behind his glasses as he rubbed
sleep from his face. Karen nodded while she crawled into the seat next to
Douglas.
“Just a few minutes. I figured I should wake you before you started drooling.”
He was about to respond when she stopped his words with a soft kiss. Still on
all fours, she continued to taste him as a hand reached for his shoulder,
pressing him back and down in his seat. It was good to have her back, tender
and gentle rather than hard and violent. As nice as making out in the back seat
of the car was, it was getting a little on the claustrophobic side. When he
tried to push back or break of the kisses, she gave chase with disapproving
grunts and moans. Push soon escalated to shove, to which she responded by
grabbing both his wrists with one hand. He ended up lying on his back across
the backseat, and she tied his hands above his head using the seat belt. As a
kneejerk reaction to the restrains, his feet kicked about in protest. In
response to his objections, she placed a firm finger on his lips while putting
pressure on his thigs. There would be no escape; that much her face told him
and he sank down. She pulled his t-shirt up underneath his chin, dabbing his
bare chest with fat kisses and wide tastes of her tongue. A thumb slipped down
her blouse, shooting downwards like a bolt of lightning, making it snow a dozen
small, white buttons. While she cupped his face in her hands, her bare chest
rubbed up and down his. Their faces were less than an inch apart when she came
closer still to snuggle against him and to nibble on his earlobe. Her body felt
like a thick, warm mist. Even with the AC working overtime to compensate, an
overly humid claustrophobia started to crawl inside his brain like angry ants.
“Stars above, I’ve missed you,” she said, her voice sounded distant and vapid.
“Thought a cold shower might do the trick but- I guess not.”
Pulling herself up as high enough to bump her head on the ceiling, all of her
fingers spread out wide as they tracked down his naked chest before coiling
themselves around the top of his shorts. An excited chuckle escaped her as she
held his warm, hard member in the palm of her hand. The look on her face was
ecstatic, partially biting down on her lip. Behind the covers of her bright
blue calf-length skirt, he could somewhat make out shadowy forms as she guided
him inside her. The airy woven fabric bellowed aside as she took him in one
thrust. His jaw clenched hard enough to chew diamonds, and he tugged at his
restrains as she sat on top and started to grind to her heart’s content. There
was no love or affection in her movements. Each thrust repeated the same few
words ad nauseam; a hunger must be filled, so let us feast. With her relentless
chase of stimuli, it didn’t take long before he was spent. As a last effort to
tell her, he pushed his hips against hers as the climax surged through his
spine. He’d barely sunken down back to the seat when her hand disappeared
behind her skirt, shaking rapidly. Her whole body tensed up and froze while a
faint squeal managed to slip past her lips. Then she sank down, snuggling
against his cheek.
 
===============================================================================
 
Douglas ran the back of his hand underneath his nose, sniffing and blinking
while trembling fingers held his shorts in place. Through the car window he
could see the stain left on the leather seat. A growing ball kept swelling in
the depths of his throat, as if he was just an excuse away from vomiting. The
gravel in the driveway rattled in protest as he turned and started towards the
manor. It looked so big, tall and looming with a darkness that not even the
summer sun could drive away. Douglas drew a trembled breath and walked down the
hallway, his eyes alert as the shifted from the master bedroom door to the
kitchen door. With the door to his room coming into view, he his feet urged him
on and he stole quick glances over either shoulder. The door flung open and
closed with a bang, his knees failed to hold support him as he slipped down.
After a shower, Douglas stood by the sink holding his glasses under running
water. All the snuggling and cuddling Karen had indulged herself with had left
marks on them. Finally happy with how they looked, Douglas left the bathroom
for a new set of clothes. The shorts and t-shirt he’d worn earlier were left in
the trash. After grabbing some random clothes, he started for the front door.
Looking out at the hallway as he stood in the doorway, just getting his feet
over doorstep was no small feat. A few times he came close to shutting the
door, though each time he stopped with a small gap to spare and his hand firmly
on the handle. Finally he drew a sharp breath and held it as he stepped over
the doorstep, his steps short and fast. He felt the blood flushing to his face,
practically boiling underneath his skin as the guest room door came closer and
closer with each step. A series of clacking sounds from the second floor made
Douglas jump out of his good skin, releasing his breath and some fat drops of
salvia for good measure. Fingers ran over his lips while his eyes, gaping wide,
looked in the direction of the sound. Nothing, just Karen shooting some pool
upstairs.
“Listen, Karen…” he said out to the empty hallway, “I-I’ll just go for a walk,
get some ice cream so… don’t freak out, alright?”
His walk took him to a place called Twiggy’s, a small pub like place. It
sported a bar at the far end with a couple of tables with black leather benches
on either side. Aside from the elderly gentleman tending the bar and a middle
aged couple sharing a few beers, the place was empty. Douglas walked up to the
bar, hesitant and humble as a kitten lost in a storm. The bartender raised a
curious eyebrow, twitched his pitch black mustache before shrugging and resting
on the bar. Douglas just flashed him a quick, halfhearted smile and looked at
the bottles lined up behind the bar. “What’ll it be, stranger?” the bartender
asked.
“Oh, uh… I’ll- what do you recommend?”
He leaned towards Douglas, squinted his light brown eyes as he said, “You ah-
look kinda young to be havin’ any of the usual.”
“Heh, you’re right about that,” Douglas said, folding his hands on the bar and
looking intently at his palms. “Not that I’m- listen, I just-“
“Trouble with the lady, right?”
Douglas sighed, avoiding the bartender’s gaze as he ran his fingers through his
hair. “Is it that obvious?”
“Kid, you’re like an open book, if you’ll pardon my saying so.”
The door opened and the bartender gave the new guest a polite nod with his
chin. While Douglas sat by the bar, swimming in the sea of his troubles, the
bartender gave him some space and started stacking beer glasses. A tall figure
took a seat next to Douglas, putting a large cup of milkshake on the bar. He
looked at the cup, moist with droplets of water on the outside and as his eyes
traveled from the cup to the stranger, he came face to face with Karen. She
just sat there, silently drinking her own milkshake. When she put the cup down
and looked at Douglas he saw in her blue and brown eyes a dozen different
variations of remorse.
“I’m sorry.”
It was such a simple string of words, yet they wedged themselves into the hole
in Douglas heart and twisted around. Softly she slid the milkshake over to him
and quietly retreated her hand. For a long while they just sat there, listening
to Douglas’ soft, muffled sobs. The bartender politely put a box of napkins on
the bar and carried on as if nothing was amiss. After slow minutes had come and
gone, Douglas picked up the milkshake and started to drink.
“It’s good,” he said, swallowing down both the shake and the ball of emotions
that bobbed and floated at the bottom of his throat.
***** Why Me? *****
Chapter Summary
     As summer comes to an end, Douglas starts questioning why Power Girl
     fell for him in the first place. Douglas learns that not only is it
     impossible for a human to impregnate a Kryptonian, but also that
     Power Girl is very weak against magic.
This wasn't where he wanted to be. Pam was in the limbo age where she should be
able to be on her own, yet anyone with a 'just in case' mindset would put
someone on babysitting duty. Eddie really wanted to go on the annual Power Girl
convention in Louisville while his parents had to attend a work related seminar
in Evansville. With Kris still in Mexico, it fell on Douglas to keep an eye on
Pam. Eddie was grateful for the assist the moment Douglas arrived at his house.
Karen had not been of much help in getting Douglas out of babysitting duty
either. She'd suited up for the first time since the summer holidays started
and found herself up to her ears after a bombing took place inside the Erawan
Shrine.
With all said and done, the whole babysitting affair simmered down to really
nothing. Pam was, despite Eddie's opinion, quite the level headed kid who
didn't cause any fuss after eating leftovers from yesterday’s dinner. After
they'd done the dishes, Douglas helped himself with some snacks and soda while
Pam surfed the TV channels for anything remotely interesting. The Thailand
bombing was all over the news and for a while Pam watched closely, perhaps due
to an influence from her brother’s obsession. “Pretty crazy, huh?” she nodded
at the TV.
“Yeah, you could say that again,” Douglas took a seat next to Pam and passed
her a can of soda.
“Sucks. Eddie's gonna be all pouty tomorrow since it looks like she dodged the
cameras this time around.”
“Maybe she’s just want to ease into it again after that school shooting?”
Pam cracked open his soda and took a swig, “Maybe.”
Swapping channels once more, Douglas was a little surprised that they'd managed
to catch a bolt of lightning in a bottle; MTV was actually playing a music
video for once. It was the old school classic Brilliant Disguise by Bruce
Springsteen. Listening to the song, Douglas remembered how Kris used to poke
fun out of him for preferring 'daddy rock' over other genres of music more
fitting for his age. There were some pieces of the lyrics that escaped him,
since the good Mr. Springsteen had a habit of mumbling out the words rather
than articulate them clearly.
With nothing better to do and the tune now firmly jammed into his head, Douglas
browsed the web on his phone looking for the lyrics. The first thing that
struck him as he read over the lyrics was how it nailed his relationship with
Karen. Some of the emotions expressed in the song included confusion, jealousy
and anxiety about whether the singer's wife has become a stranger to him.
Granted, he and Karen weren't married, but then again by this stage it felt
more like a minor technicality than anything else.
“Heard Kris’ flight will land tomorrow,” Pam said, helping herself with a
handful of chips. “You coming? Pretty sure she’d like a welcome committee now
that she’s a huge international success.”
Douglas looked up from his phone, blinking away his thoughts while scrambling
for a response. “Uh, I’m not sure.”
“C’mon Douglas, the more the merrier right? Also don’t leave my brother all
alone on luggage duty.”
“I’m not exactly super mobile Pam,” he tossed his phone away. “Still no
driver’s license in sight.”
“What’s up with that? Thought you and Ms. Starr were, like, driving 24/7?”
“We got…” Douglas made a gesture, fishing for the right phrase. “…sidetracked a
little.”
Pam threw the remote on the coffee table before slumping back into the sofa.
“Aaah, rich people problems, am I right? If you’re loaded like Ms. Starr, you
probably gotta keep smacking those gold diggers away with an iron pole or
something.”
Douglas shrugged and picked up his phone again. He looked over the lyrics from
top to bottom, over and over again. Each time it seemed to nag and bother him
more and more, like a small pebble in his shoe. Karen had changed since he'd
met her, that much was certain. She'd started as an enthusiastic eccentric with
poor sense of direction, then shifted to one of the richest women in the state,
then she escalated to the superheroine Power Girl and last but not least, she'd
become Douglas' lover. Or he became her lover, he wasn't quite sure which way
that door swung, if it swung at all. Regardless the nagging question that kept
growing in Douglas mind was as simple as it was complex; why him? “Listen,
Pam.”
“Yeah?”
“Does Eddie have some sort of book covering all the information he has on Power
Girl?”
“Say what?” Pam straightened in her seat with a confused expression on her
face. “Where did that come from?”
“Just curious,” Douglas shrugged. “I mean, he's the most dedicated fan I know
of, so it makes sense he has a record of sorts, right?”
“Douglas, we're in 2015 – everything is digital in this day and age,” Pam said,
her groaning suggested it was such an obvious answer, it hurt to say it out
loud. “However… he does have a bunch of newspaper clips and what not from the
freaking stone age. Like before the internet, when people relied on candles for
light.”
“It's a bit disheartening that you so easily dismiss the printed media,”
Douglas took another swig of his soda, “but is there any chance I can have a
look at that book?”
Pam started to chuckle and all of her efforts to keep it contained only fanned
the flames. As the chuckle rose and paused because she swallowed down the wrong
hole, coughing and laughing at the same time, Douglas just sat there mildly
annoyed. “Oh Douglas, you say the weirdest thing, you know that? Hold on, lemme
get it for ya,” Pam got up and walked over to the bookshelf, giggling a little
to herself sporadically before handing Douglas an open book. “Here, this is
Eddie's homemade unofficial autobiography of the woman of steel.”
Douglas adjusted his glasses a little and looked down at a random news
clipping, the glue had soaked through the paper, making the first paragraph
hard to read. Reading it, he paused and frowned. He read the same two
paragraphs over a few times and checked the handwritten date on the side. The
article looked both official yet was quite old; published in 1985. It said in
blunt words that Power Girl could not have children of her own, her own biology
wasn’t compatible with humans. Leading scientists all rejected the notion,
comparing it to splicing humans with any of the great apes. “Douglas, hello you
okay?” Pam asked, snapping her fingers at Douglas. “You look like you’ve seen a
ghost.”
“Huh? Oh,” he squinted up at Pam before his gaze sunk down on the book he had
in his lap. “Yeah… Listen, can I borrow this?”
“Aww shit, did I wake up the book wyrm from its-” Pam was cut short by the
phone ringing. “Yeah, I don't think Eddie would mind. Hello? No, Mr. Edwards.
They’re not here, they’re at the seminar.”
 
===============================================================================
 
He paced back and forth across his bedroom floor, the clustered pages of
Eddie's 'autobiography' looking up at him. The cold sweat along with a bowling
ball sized boulder in his guts that rolled slowly from side to side with each
step made it hard to breathe. Douglas hadn't been like this since he first
learned that Karen and Power Girl were one and the same. He struggled and
wrestled with the new information that had been dumped in his lap. One of the
first line of reasoning he started walking was that Karen simply forgot. She
led a very active lifestyle, juggled two identities along with a sizeable
amount of money. Not to mention that a lot could happen over thirty years.
Douglas stopped and looked over at the transparent reflection of himself on the
window glass. Yes, a lot of things can happen over the span of thirty years. He
didn't have to look any further than his own reflection to see proof. If anyone
had told him that he'd be dating Power Girl by summer, he'd be laughing in
their faces. Or he'd probably just walk away really fast without making a
sound.
The more he thought it over, the less sense it made. Being unable to have
children is a pretty big deal, it's not something you forget like a pair of car
keys once you've been made aware of it. There had to be something else, but
what on Earth was it? Douglas slumped down on his bed, flipping through the
pages of the autobiography and scanning each page for a clue or hint. There had
to be something in here that would put him on the right track. When the book
closed with a sharp smack, Douglas buried his face into the quilt and groaned
loudly.
“What was that? The mating call of a moose?”
“Huh? Oh,” he looked up and saw Karen standing in the doorway still in her
costume, “Karen... I didn't know you were back.”
“Just a pit stop sweetie, for a fresh new cape and a new set of gloves.” she
walked over and leaned down for a kiss. “Whatcha reading this time?”
“Nothing,” the word plopped out so bluntly that it was guaranteed to raise all
manners of flags, bells and whistles.
Karen gave him a sideways scowl and picked up the book. “Huh, a news clipping
book, didn't know these things still existed in this day and age. Think it's
any good?”
“I borrowed it from Eddie,” he said, sitting up in the bed. “Listen, do you
think I could get the contact info to agent Reese or Reed?”
“What for?”
“Oh, you know... the stuff on the news got me thinking,” Douglas shrugged
before trying to fish the book out of Karen's hands, “that if something,
anything at all, were to happen to you, I'd know who to call.”
Her face shifted from curiosity to mild bafflement as his words sunk in. With a
last little nudge, the hardback book slipped from her fingers before Douglas
put himself between it and Karen. For a minute she just stood there, her
fingers curling repeatedly as if confirming that the book was indeed gone. With
a light chuckle and a cleverly accusing finger she said, “Well isn't that
sweet. You're worried about me.”
“Well- You're all that I've got Karen,” Douglas said, pursing his lips.
“Listen, I mean- even you must have limits, right?”
“True, but,” she ruffled his hair while sporting an assuring smile, “I know
what I'm doing, got years of experience. I know my limits Doug, so you don't
have to worry about a thing, okay?”
                                        
===============================================================================
 
The clock struck one. Kris’ flight was right on schedule, so Eddie along with
Douglas and Pam were waiting for her to collect her luggage. Despite being
tired form the flight, she was talking like a pressure washer, because
apparently her trip had been a massive success. The band had been a hit right
out the gate with the locals and they’d pretty much been on tour, hopping from
one bar to the next nonstop. According to Kris, the only reason they stopped
was because of their flight back home was due and the drummer needed to be home
for her brother’s wedding. “So we’ll talk it over, but everyone is stoked for
going back. Hell, we might even just bite the bullet and move.”
“Whoa, you’re moving to Mexico?” Eddie said before raising his hand. “Sick, you
go girl. High five!”
Douglas frowned and scratched the side of his nose. “Wait, what about school?”
“What about it?” she shrugged. “It’s just one year, plus I can’t stand being
back here. Not after getting a taste of the real world.”
“Ha! High school dropout!” Pam grinned wide, bringing the bracers on her teeth
out in the open.
Kris just winked at her and stuck out her tongue. “We still need to get the go
for launch from our folks though. It’s gonna be a tough sell.”
The doors to the parking lot slid open and the gang headed towards the car.
Eddie and Douglas carried one suitcase each, while Pam handled the hand luggage
and Kris had her trusty bass guitar over her shoulder. They made small talk
while trying to get their bearings and spot their car in the small sea that was
the airport parking, occasionally gesturing left and right to one another.
After circling around in a silly little donut for a few minutes Eddie toss in
the towel and called his mom, who was waiting in the car for directions. Even
with Eddie’s mom on the phone, it took a few wrong lefts and rights before they
were finally in place.
 
===============================================================================
 
Shortly after they’d dropped Kris off at her place and helped her getting the
luggage inside, Eddie and Douglas took their sweet time getting back to the
car. The distant sound of a boom high above them caught Douglas’ ear, but when
he looked up at the skies all he could see were a few puffy clouds. Shrugging
it off, Douglas hitched a ride back home and as he was about to leave, Eddie
rolled down the window and pulled on his shirt. “So I’m thinking barbeque later
tonight, I’m sure Kris wants to gush even more about her trip once she’s
settled in. Figuring around eight-ish. You in?”
“Uh, sure. I don’t have any-” he stopped himself as he spotted Karen coming
driving back, stopping in the driveway.
She stepped out of the car and slammed the door shut, her face stern with
disapproval. “Douglas, where have you been?”
“W-we went to pick up Kris at the airport,” his eyes flickered back and forth
between Karen and Eddie for support, “I left a note on the fridge.”
Karen paused, an eyebrow curiously raised, she said, “Oh? Kris is back?”
“That’s right Ms. Starr,” Eddie chimed in, resting his arms on the car window,
“we’re gonna have a barbeque later so she can tell us all about her awesome
trip.”
“Is that so?” Karen crossed her arms and shifted the weight from one foot to
another. “Too bad Douglas can’t join you.”
“I can’t?”
“We’ve already made an appointment, remember?” Karen’s eyes narrowed, her
fingers impatiently drummed on her arm. “Driving lesson…?”
“We… uh, was that tod-”
“Maybe another time Eddie, good day,” she put on a crooked smile that had a
faint annoyed edge to it.
“Oh… uh, sure thing Ms. Starr.” Eddie shrunk down in his seat, rolling the
window halfway up. “It’s not until eight though, so ma-”
“Good. Day. Eddie.”
Douglas looked after Eddie’s car as it drove off and when he could see it no
more, he turned to Karen who was already heading inside. For a moment he just
stood there, mouth open and not breathing. A short minute later he let out a
sigh while his shoulders slumped downwards before he went in after Karen. He
slipped his fingers behind his glasses, rubbing his eyes as if making an effort
to clear the confusion out of the way. Having followed after Karen, they’d
ended up in the master bedroom where Karen quickly started stripping out of her
clothes, revealing her formfitting white suit underneath. A quick glance over
at the bed showed her cape and gloves tossed aside while her heavy blue boots
were lying at the far end of the room as if they’d been kicked off in a hurry.
Douglas rubbed his chin and looked past Karen, into her walk-in wardrobe and
noticed several hangers haphazardly lying on the floor as well as some pieces
of clothing, some torn. “Okay, what was that all about?” he said,
unintentionally pointing in the general direction of the front door.
“Nothing. Just give me a minute and I’ll be ready.”
Douglas frowned, replaying what they’d said before Karen had suited up as Power
Girl. “Did we- I don’t think we agreed to have a driver’s lesson today.”
“Well, we do now.”
“Oh-kay…” he drew a breath and held it. “So you can drop me off at Kris’ place
after we’re done, right?”
Karen turned on her heel, adjusting one of the shoulder straps on her bra. Her
answer came out as it snapped in place, “No.”
“Wait, what? Why?”
“Because I say so, Douglas.”
“What, am I suddenly 3 years old?”
“You certainly act like it,” she started collecting her clothes from the floor,
avoiding looking Douglas in the eye.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Douglas sat in his reading room, carefully going over the many newspaper and
magazine snippets that Eddie had collected in his book. It was for the lack of
a better word, a real treasure as far as information on Power Girl was
concerned. An article in particular stood out from all the tabloids, gossip and
faded photographs. Even Eddie had, presumably, highlighted pieces of it with a
marker pen. It was a science article about the psychology of Power Girl and how
it tied to what essentially was a rampage loosely wrapped in vigilantism.
The hypothesis presented in the article was that a rival drug gang used
hypnosis on Power Girl in an effort to take out Griselda Blanco, a Colombian
drug lord of the Medellín Cartel and a pioneer in the Miami-based cocaine drug
trade and underworld during the 1970s and early 1980s. The article rejected the
myth that only the mentally weak can be hypnotized, instead it pointed out that
in fact the exact reverse is probably more true. The higher your intelligence
and the stronger your self-control, the more easily you are hypnotized.
Douglas found himself agreeing with the rationale laid out by the article, that
Power Girl must be a woman of exceptional self-control in order to operate her
many abilities with such startling precision. Granted he'd seen first-hand that
this self-control had gotten thrown out the window a few times, but these
seemed more like rare exceptions than a general rule. As he read on, the
article pointed out that it’s difficult to get people to do things under
hypnosis that they wouldn’t normally do. While hypnotized people are still in
touch with their morals and normal standards of behavior. That said, though, it
is possible to reduce people’s inhibitions under hypnosis and they will more
readily accept suggestions.
Power Girl, the article pointed out, was a bit of a hot head and showed signs
of anger management issues. Under the influence of hypnosis, these
characteristics could be enhanced and possibly directed at a desired target,
assuming you managed to get her to listen to you in the first place. All this
was good and dandy as far as explaining what was going on, but it begged the
question of who and why. While the article itself didn't provide those answers,
the book itself gave up one last clue. Douglas noticed that this particular
page on the book was frequently viewed, since the book naturally opened up to
this page if left flat on its back.
 
===============================================================================
 
“Karen? Can I have a word?” Douglas peeked out from behind the door to her
office.
She glanced up from her computer, her eyes blinking. “Sure sweetie, what's on
your mind?”
He took a small step inside the office, the back of his heels touching the
doorstep as he stood there timid and small, holding Eddie's scrapbook close to
his chest. “I was thinking about going over to Eddie's.”
Karen sank back in her chair, narrow eyes looked him over from head to toe as
if trying to spot something amiss. Light fingers scratched the edges of her
chin and jawline, thinking and evaluating. “Is Kris going to be there?”
“No?” he said, before he added, “At least not as far as I know.”
“Okay, get the car keys honey. I'll be with you in a sec.”
Douglas waited in the car while fiddling a little with the radio when Karen
took her seat next to him. The first thing he noticed was she smelled like
she'd gotten a beer barrel of perfume dunked on her head. It made him cough a
little and as he opened the side window he tried his best to wave the air away
from his face. For most of the drive to Eddie's, Douglas tried to make heads
and tails of Karen's upgraded cosmetics. As long as he'd known her, she'd been
very low key in most matters regarding make-up and perfume. Not to suggest, let
alone say that Karen was a slob that disregarded personal hygiene. It was more
along the lines of subtle, natural look and smell. Even when she was fresh out
of the shower, he'd really had to be up close and personal to really notice her
fragrance. Or perhaps Douglas simply had a really bad sense of smell.
“So, I'll call you later,” he undid his seatbelt before reaching to the
backseat for Eddie's book, “or are you going out?”
“Don't think so, I'll stay home today. Unless something really bad happens.”
“Listen, it's not a problem Karen,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, “I can
get Eddie's parents to give me a lift or maybe Kris is av-”
“No,” Karen's tone was flat and direct as she locked her eyes on him, “call me
Douglas. Promise me.”
“Sure, sure,” Douglas retracted his hand, leaning slightly away from her, “I'll
give you a call, promise.”
As Douglas rang the doorbell, he stole a glance over his shoulder and saw Karen
sitting in the car. Her hands clutched the steering wheel and her eyes appeared
to trace over every inch of Eddie's house. When the door handle clacked open,
Karen started the engine and slowly drove off. Eddie stood in the doorway,
looking a little puzzled. “'Sup bro? Kinda unexpected to find you at my door
unannounced and everything.”
“Hey Eddie,” Douglas said, his eyes still looking at the rear end of Karen's
car as it rounded a corner. “I borrowed this book when yo- When I looked after
Pam, thought you'd wanted it back.”
“Oh this old thing? Got most of it on my blog, but 'ppreciate it.” Eddie took
the book and looked Douglas over a few times, followed his gaze down the
street. “Dude, you okay? Is there some topless chick down the street or
something?”
“Huh? No, that's- listen, can we talk?”
“Sure,” he took a step aside, inviting Douglas inside. “Want some watermelon?
Dude, what's that smell? You co-starred in an Axe commercial or something?”
They helped themselves to a few slices of watermelon and headed up to Eddie's
room. For a while Douglas caught up with the latest news on Kris, who was
working hard to sell her parents on the idea of her moving to Mexico. It didn't
take long before the conversation slipped into Power Girl centric topics and
Douglas saw his window of opportunity. “Speaking of which,” he leaned forward
in his chair, “I spotted an interesting article in that scrapbook of yours
Eddie. Something about hypnotism?”
“Oh that,” Eddie's words were muffled behind half a mouthful of watermelon.
“Just a pipe dream bro. Believe me, I've tried.”
“Now this is unusual,” he smiled, bobbing a clever finger at his friend. “The
great Eddie Kaplin calling something Power Girl related a pipe dream. You've
even met her in real life, so miracles can happen, right?”
“Remember back in 6th grade when I was all over you about mystery books?”
“Yeah...? Yeah, you had me look up the weirdest stuff. Like the Book of Soyga,
the, the Rohonc Codex, the Ripley Scroll Book and, and that... oh what was it?
The Voynich Manuscript? I mean, what was that about?”
“Well it turns out that twelve year old me did a complete brain-fart. My logic
was that hypnotism and magic, two sides of the same coin. Since I couldn't get
Power Girl to land in my backyard so I could hypnotize her. Not unless I set
the house on fire, and even that would be a stretch, I figured I could cast a
spell on her from afar.”
Douglas sank back in his chair, some more pieces were added to the puzzle, “Ah
so you had me dig up all the information on obscure magical books in hopes of
finding a spell. What on Earth for?”
“Duh,” Eddie started cleaning up the plates, “so I could make her fall head
over heels for me. What else?”
“A love spell, seriously?” he couldn't help to chuckle at the idea.
Eddie shifted into a pout as Douglas' laughter just kept rising in volume.
“Shut up dude, I was like twelve and got my first Power Girl boner the week
before or something.”
“Oh man,” Douglas was in tears, hunched over from all the laughter bubbling
inside him. “Of course you got a boner from Power Girl.”
“What can I say? I've got great taste in women.”
They spent the next few hours talking about a wide range of topics, browsing
the web for silly videos and even had a few rounds of video gaming. All the
time the notion of casting a spell on Power Girl, as silly as it sounded, still
nagged in the back of Douglas' mind. On one hand it made no sense, yet there
was this persistent little voice that told the skeptic part of Douglas to shove
it. The problem was that this little voice seemed to lack a crucial piece of
the puzzle to make any sense whatsoever.
A minor piece clicked into place when Douglas was on the phone with Karen for
his pick up; by chance he caught a glimpse of Eddie's blog on his computer.
Skimming over the page, Douglas noticed that Power Girl fans have noted that
her heroics have become increasingly sloppy or otherwise out of character,
citing the Hawaii volcano incident and the Vegas school shooting as prime
examples. The blog post was dated to early May 2015 with the comments initially
calling bullshit and gradually came around to the idea that something was up.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Soon after Karen picked him up from Eddie's, she wanted a summary of what
they'd been talking about. When Douglas proved evasive and vague with his
answers, she finally had enough and slammed down the brakes hard enough to make
him lunge forward in his seat, the seat belt digging into his shoulder. “Karen,
what in the world?!”
“She was there, wasn't she?”
A long second ticked by before Douglas managed to squeeze out, “...who?”
“Don't play with me,” she shot him an angry glare as if all the wrongs in this
world rested on his scrawny shoulders, her hands hammered at the wheel. “Kris,
that dumb, stupid little bi-”
“Karen, Karen,” he undid his seat belt and leaned over to embrace her. “Hey,
it's okay. She wasn't there, honest. Just me and Eddie's family, nothing more.”
Her fingers dug into his t-shirt, tugging at the fabric while he stroked the
top of her head. “Then why won't you talk to me?” her words were muffled and
distorted from talking into his shoulder.
“Well... It's Eddie and it- you know how he feels about Power Girl, right?” she
peeked up from his shoulder, her gaze worried and moist with tears. “It was
just- guy's talk about... well how much badly we'd like to- uh, fuck you.”
Karen pushed him back, keeping him on arm’s length with both hands firmly on
his shoulders, “That’s it?”
“Yeah… yeah, I- I mean, of course I’m going to be a little reserved giving you
a summary of guy talk when you’re the subject of that talk.” Douglas swiped a
tear away from her cheek, Karen’s head tilted gently to feel more of his touch.
“Listen, okay? You have nothing to be jealous of. You have me in a way that
Kris does not and there is no risk of losing me to her, alright? I don’t see
her like that and the same goes for her.”
Karen turned back to the steering wheel, fingers coiled around it, twisting and
rubbing. “Okay… I’m- yeah, let’s just go home,” she allowed herself a smile and
started the car again.
 
===============================================================================
 
Late the next evening they sat in the living room, Karen going over a financial
report that looked like a quantum physics equation and Douglas solving a
crossword. As he stole small glances at Karen from the edge of his vision, it
became increasingly clear to him that their talk in the car was losing its
effect. She’d been fidgety and restless through most of the day,
procrastinating work related issues in favor of being around Douglas. The
concern that all the baby accessories that still dominated her office would
distract her, or worse, distress her, prompted Douglas to spend time in the
living room, hoping it would keep Karen calm and productive. An old saying went
along the lines of: keep the hands busy and the mind free.
“You feel for some snacks?” he said before he put the pen down and stretched in
his seat. “Some salty crackers, a few slices of cheese… a glass of wine. Yes?
No?”
Karen tossed the papers aside, rubbing the bridge of her nose, “Yeah that
sounds nice.”
As far as Douglas knew, Karen wasn’t much of a drinker. The only times she’d
used wine was in cooking, never as a drink. Over the months that they’d lived
together they’d eaten plenty of dishes that would go nicely with wine and it
wasn’t as if Karen was a frequent driver. Driving was made redundant when you
could simply fly wherever you needed to go. Regardless it was time to put a
little experiment into motion, so Douglas dutifully gathered cheese, crackers
and poured a glass of red wine. Likewise he pocketed a twelve pack of candles
in metal cups before climbing upstairs.
“Oh? What is this?” Karen said, there was a soft purr to her voice.
He shrugged, the wine wobbled in its glass as he put the tray down, “Just a
little something special for a special lady.”
“Aw, aren’t you a sweetheart,” she helped herself to the glass of wine, faintly
toasting in his direction.
After he’d dimmed the lights and placed the candles around small trays
scattered across the tables, Douglas patted himself up and down looking for a
lighter. He was just about to head downstairs when Karen’s soft giggle made him
pause. Looking over his shoulder he saw Karen’s eye sockets glow with a warm,
orange like color while she focused on one of the candles. The thread shifted
slightly, a thin streak of smoke rose before it puffed into a tiny flame. She
looked quite smug in the sofa, as she looked around in the room, igniting each
and every candle. With a couple of fingers she motioned for Douglas to join
him.
“Heh, handy that.”
“Mm-mmm,” her arm folded over him, pulling him close while she took another
sip. “Scented candles?”
“Really? I thought I picked the plain ones,” Douglas peered around into the
living room, a handful of flames reflected in his glasses. “Do you mind?”
“A little on the cheesy side,” she said while rubbing his shoulder, “but I
don’t mind.”
For a long while they sat in the sofa, cuddled together without saying as much
as a whisper. Every now and then they helped themselves with crackers and
cheese, sometimes serving each other. When Karen’s glass got empty, Douglas
went downstairs to fetch the bottle along with a second round of crackers,
acting like the good butler. A few hours later, with the candles on their last
leg and the bottle practically empty, Karen’s troubles have been washed away
leaving only smiles and giggles behind. Douglas excused himself to the leisure
room, his hand softly held back by Karen until it slipped from her fingers.
After finding a soft tune on the jukebox, he put on an exaggerated bow and
asked Karen for a dance. Her rich giggle was interrupted by a snort, though she
accepted nevertheless.
“What on Earth are you playing at Mr. Sutherland?” she asked, her tone wrapped
in a fake posh accent followed by girlish sniggering.
“Why Ms. Starr, a fair dance for a fair lady seems right,” Douglas humored her
with a similar accent, complete with the stiff upper class sniff fit of a
British lord. “Besides, can’t complain about the view.”
It was only then that Karen noticed that he had front row seats to her
cleavage, much thanks to the difference in their height. “Oh you sly little
fox,” her eyes narrowed and a clever smile curled her lips. “If that’s your
angle, how about some tango?”
At the flip of a switch her whole frame grew stiff before it took command,
making Douglas struggle to keep up with her long strides back and forth across
the floor. Though they were just dancing tango, or at the very least trying,
there was no denying Karen’s strength. Even without her super strength, there
was no doubt in Douglas mind that she could easily overpower him with one arm
behind her back. The idea was both terrifying and arousing at the same time,
though he’d be a fool to deny that being hugged close to Karen’s gorgeous body
didn’t influence his mindset by quite a bit. As the song hit its climax and
stopped on a dime, Karen spun them around and leaned heavily into him while her
leg wrapped over his thigh. When they didn’t tumble over as Douglas had
expected, he noted that she was surprisingly light for someone of her size.
“Wait a minute…” he squinted his eyes at her, “You’re cheating, aren’t you?”
She blew a raspberry, “You’re not supposed to say it like that.”
“Well, it beats breaking a few bones from falling over.”
“Hey, you take that back,” her legs swung around, locking around his hips and
giving just a small hint of pressure.
“You’re right, of course,” he said, planting a light kiss at the tip of her
nose. “I’m sorry. It’s not many guys that have a girlfriend that can fly.”
Her lips curled back, revealing a warm smile that complimented her faintly
flushed cheeks. “Now that’s more like it. How about we… carry on downstairs?”
 
===============================================================================
 
They tasted each other all the way out of the living room, each step was taken
as an open invitation for hungrier kisses. At some point his glasses got
brushed off, but neither seemed to care or take notice. The last few steps down
the stairs could have ended with disaster, had she not countered with her
flight. Wobbling from side to side, bumping into walls, pictures and furniture
he lost track of his bearings. Neither seemed to mind, she was more than
content clinging to his fragile body with her arms and legs firmly locked in
place, and he could never get enough of her neckline while stroking her thighs.
Finally after what felt like a small eternity they reached the end of the line.
She let out a hearty laugh as they crashed into a door for the first time, her
hand stroking its surface in search of the handle. Whether it was the wine or
the torrent of kisses was hard to say, but her patience ran dry and she slammed
the door with a clenched fist. It hit the door like a battering ram, wooden
splinters from the doorframe showering into the room. While he greedily
indulged himself to her neckline, tracing down to the upper edges of her
breasts, she shifted her head around looking for the ever elusive bed.
Her grip on him tightened and suddenly there was this new force in play that
ushered both of them forward until they crashed into bed. The woodwork of the
bed cracked and complained underneath them, though neither of them hardly
noticed. All he saw before him was her, his hands cupping her large breasts
while her fingers tore off his shirt and scraped against his skin. Her lips
were dapped in hints of something sour, probably the wine. Hands slipped
underneath her t-shirt, sliding her bra up and over her breasts. She put an
impatient hand on the neck of her t-shirt, tearing it apart as she let a moan
of relief ring across the room.
A moist tongue traced over her ribs and stomach like a snake coiling across hot
desert sand, tasting the warm skin sporadically. She twisted and squirmed in
the bed, her limbs getting entangled in the sheets while she bit down on her
lip. Fingers weaved into his hair, steering him further down as her legs
invited him inside. The buttons on her denim skirt popped open in rapid
succession and when his fingers scraped down her thighs, taking the skirt with
them, all she could do was let out a trembling groan. She drew her breath in
deep and sharp, letting him smell her and gently caress the insides of her
legs. His thumbs stopped just short of her lips as his palms were tender in
their touch.
He spread her and kissed her sex. She flinched slightly and bit down on her
finger, poking his lower back with her heels to make him advance. The broadside
of his tongue took long, slow strokes against either of her lips, making point
not to touch its dead center. A series of light dabs from a probing tongue tip
sent small firecrackers up and down her spine. Then a finger, warm and wet from
either him or her slid inside. A second finger came inside, resisting her
massage as it explored her while his palm rested tenderly on her clit. Her
heels kicked against the edge of the bed, making deep dents into the wood and
her breathing shifted to deep pants, interwoven with warm groans.
Releasing her, he rolled her hips to the side before climbing over her. With a
hand firmly on her shoulder, he pressed her down on him, his hips meeting hers.
The warmth of his sigh rolled over her cheek and her hand found his. A thrust
came from below, short and firm and they settled into a slow, sensual rhythm.
She could feel how his forehead pressed against the back of her shoulders, her
ankle working impatiently to shake off her panties that stubbornly hung on.
Their pace picked up with the bed’s battered frame creaking in protest. Lost
and vulnerable in the moment, a surprised squeak sliced through the air when
without warning he rolled her over on her stomach. An excited hand found its
place between the bed and her stomach, trekking downwards. With the last few
thrusts, he found it and trapped it between his fingers. A scream, muffled into
a pillow was the last he heard before collapsing on top of her.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
At the crack of dawn Douglas woke up, his mouth felt like washed out socks. A
heavy arm rested over his chest, Karen slept soundly at his side. He carefully
slipped out of the bed and tip toed on quiet feet over to the bathroom for some
water. While he waited for the water to cool as it tickled out from the faucet,
Douglas looked at Karen sleeping reflection in the mirror. Part of him wanted
to just walk out the door and never look back; run, hide and pray that she’d
never find him. Whenever that idea started to form into something tangible, the
memory of Karen’s rage, beating a grown man to pulp with no effort, shattered
it like a ten ton hammer. If something was wrong, as Douglas suspected, he
wanted to set it straight.
As far as he could tell his little experiment had paid off. There were limits
to the mistress of might, a problem was that they easily exceeded his own. Plus
there was little to no guarantee that a bottle of wine and a night of love
making would do the trick next time around. At best it would buy him a small
window of opportunity to get away from Karen’s ever watching eyes. First things
first though, he needed to know just what was wrong with Karen before he could
start creating a chance for him to fix it. That was of course assuming he was
in any position to fix it at all. He might have to turn to agent Reese for
help, turning himself in to get Karen the help she needed. The idea that he was
the problem or at the very least part of the problem put some serious breaks to
that plan, but for now Douglas would have to take it one step at the time.
Karen shifted in bed, yawned and her arm patted around for Douglas. A fraction
of a second after she realized he wasn’t there, she sat up in bed like a bolt
of lightning, every muscle as tense as piano strings, ears alert and eyes wide.
It wasn’t until she spotted him by the bathroom sink, glass of water in hand,
that she slumped back in bed with a heavy sigh. He took a sip of water, knowing
he didn’t have much time. For now he’d just have to be the good son and loving
lover, for it was the only thing that kept Karen calm. As Douglas looked at the
crooked bedframe, he spotted a small piece of paper underneath it. Curious, he
picked the crumbled and dirty note up and looked at it. It had his handwriting
on it, along with a weird drawing of a talisman and a big dark brownish stain.
“Huh. Haven’t seen you since,” he paused, looking up at Karen’s naked body,
“the car crash where I got saved…”
***** Come Undone *****
Chapter Summary
     Douglas tries to find a way to undo the arousal charm he cast on
     Power Girl by accident, enlisting the help of Eddie and Kris. Power
     Girl's irrationality reaches new heights as she tries to keep Douglas
     all to herself.
School would start in a couple of weeks, and just the thought of what
conclusions Karen might jump to if she caught him talking to a female classmate
was enough to send shivers down Douglas’ spine. He had to do something, though
right now all he had was loose pieces of a puzzle that didn’t seem to quite
fit. As long as he played the good son, always within reach, Karen would leave
him to his own devices. Leaving the manor on his own on the other hand, was
getting more challenging with each request. By the looks of things, Douglas
feared that he might ended up getting home schooled instead of allowed to
return to school.
“Let’s just take it one step at the time,” he said to himself and turned his
attention to his notebook.
Douglas started to draw out a map, leaving the various clues he’d gathered so
far scattered around. Dates, events and various facts that he could think of
were put on paper. Problems and questions popped up at every turn. If Karen
knew that she could not have children, why did she insist that was the main
reason for their relationship? What could have made her forget, alternatively
ignore such an important fact? For someone so, well, old and mature, Karen had
started spiraling down to a level of pettiness he’d never expect. Her obsessive
and possessive traits were easily starting to spiral out of control. It had
already reached the level where she’d started to neglect the duties of her
civilian persona. Heaven knew what would happen if, or rather when she’d start
ignoring her obligations as Power Girl.
He had to admit that he knew little about these obligations, but the world had
grown accustomed to having a super powered alien doing good deeds, fighting the
good fight for nearly four decades now. Karen was well enough with money on her
own and as far as Douglas knew, the government did not pay her a dime for her
services. Still, having someone like Power Girl as a potential loose cannon
would be pretty darn low on any wish list.
Rather than staring up at the ceiling, trying to wrap his head around politics,
Douglas should focus on what was in front of him here and now. His best bet,
according to himself, would be to start at the very beginning and take it from
there. April 30th 2015, a storm would hit West Point and Power Girl had saved
him and his mother from a car crash. His mother died later due to her injuries,
but already back then Power Girl had an interest in him. Douglas hadn’t given
it much thought back then, just a kind person being kind and caring to someone
who’d hit rock bottom. From there Karen had slid into his life as his legal
guardian and later on her cover was blown thanks to a grease fire.
Then there was the note that he’d found, a scribbled copy of something he’d
found in a book. What kind of book was it? An antique of sorts that he’d…
bought for the school library or was it for himself? Speaking of which, did he
still have it? Douglas looked over the bookshelves in his reading room until he
found it in the bottom shelf, crocked and distorted from being soaked in water.
It had really rained cats and dogs that day, he recalled. As he flipped through
the pages, he made the first connection; this was a spell book of sorts.
Douglas took a seat back at his desk, turning page after page. It did not match
any of the books Eddie had asked him to research back in 6th grade as far as he
could tell by the size and content.
“What are you up to, Doug?” Karen’s words shot through him like a bolt of
lightning, rattling him in his chair.
“Holy…! You scared the wits out of me, Karen,” he planted a palm firmly on his
chest in an effort to keep his racing heart in place. “But, uh… not much, just-
reading some books.”
“Always the bookworm,” she smiled and ruffled his hair a little. “You know, I
was thinking about something go-”
In the distance, on the edge of hearing Douglas could barely make out a phone
ringing. Karen sighed and shot off like a bullet, only to return a small second
later, phone in hand. Both her tone and face made a poor man’s effort at hiding
her annoyance as the conversation started. She threw banter that was just a
little too sharp to be friendly back at whomever was on the other end, though
in the end she relented to whatever they asked of her. The plastic on the phone
creaked and bent in the palm of her hand as she hung up.
“Looks like lunch will have to wait, sweetheart,” she said as she tossed the
phone on Douglas bed. “The authorities in Thailand wants to talk to me in
regards to the bombings. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay? Love you.”
“Uh, before you go,” Douglas' hand reached around her wrist to hold her back.
“Do you know any bookstores nearby?”
Karen squinted her eyes at him as if judging his intent and honesty before she
said, “Enigma Books, it’s across the street from the food market and next to
Sun Star Motel. Why?”
He shrugged and gave her his best smile, “I’ve gotten into antique books
lately, and I’m wondering about this one’s history.” Douglas showed Karen the
tattered book.
“Fair enough, I suppose. Just don’t linger, alright?”
 
===============================================================================
 
The name Enigma Books sounded very promising. With his book under his arm,
Douglas wasted no time and headed over right away. Enigma Books was a good
couple of blocks away from Starr manor, but with the sunny weather and being
stuck inside for the past few days, the walk was a welcome change. Inside the
store Douglas found a kind old lady named Kate Williams with muddy brown eyes
and bright red hair. When he learned her age, 72 years and counting, he was
surprised that her hair had not gone silvery white by now. “Anyways, you’re not
here to sweet talk a grandma like me. What can I get you?”
“Oh right,” he put the book on the counter. “I was wondering if you could help
me figure out anything about this book.”
“Antique, eh?” Mrs. Williams said, adjusting her thick glasses for a better
look. “This little bugger been through a lot, hasn’t he?”
“Survived a car crash, but weathered out a nasty storm earlier this year.”
“Hmmm… handwritten. Latin by the looks of it,” Mrs. Williams nodded to herself
as she turned over the pages.
Douglas leaned in on the counter, “I recon it’s a spell book of sorts. You
wouldn’t happen to know which one?”
“Grimoire of Honorius perhaps?”
“What’s that?”
“Pope Honorius’s Grimoire. They say that the original manuscript was written by
Pope Honorius III in the 13th century, but in fact it was a false pope named
Cardus who wrote it. It’s an infamous book of magic. The striking thing about
it is that you can tell the rituals have been strongly influenced by those used
in Catholic Mass ceremonies,” Mrs. Williams said, her voice in a low whisper as
she shielded one side of her mouth with her hand. “Except, of course, the
content is Black Magic itself. There are numerous spell that claim to have been
approved by the Pope. There are many legends surrounding this book. According
to one, you can use it to find the location of the hiding place of the Knights
Templar.”
“Well its Latin, I’ll give you that,” Douglas nodded, “but it doesn’t look very
Catholic content wise. Plus this book also contains Hebrew and French. Any
other candidates?”
“Well, there’s the Red Dragon. As a book meant for the dissemination of magic,
it’s the most well-known. It’s mainly focuses on communication with spirits,
how to act as a medium and it’s based on a manuscript written in the 16th
century.” Mrs. Williams turned another page and sighed. “Although it was
allegedly published in the 19th century. Since there is a lot of overlap with
The Great Grimoire, it’s often regarded as an altered version, with various
addenda.”
“That sounds too recent,” he said as he shook his head. “I recall that the
seller said it was from the 12th century.”
“That same seller might as well said that the book was written by Bill
Watterson, what’s your point?” Mrs. Williams said, eyeing Douglas over the edge
of her glasses.
Douglas took a breath before he said, “That sellers are sometimes full of
bullshit?” Mrs. Williams nodded, her wrinkled face shaping up to a smile.
“Still, for the sake of argument the book isn’t red, so any other candidates?”
Mrs. Williams disappeared behind the counter and came up with a ring binder
that she started flipping through, licking the tip of her finger every few
pages. “Black Pullet. This is a book for the dissemination of magic called the
Black Pullet,” she pointed out a paragraph on a handwritten piece of paper,
torn and with a few tea stains scattered about. “It’s well-known as a popular
book of magic in Japan as well. It’s said to be based on an ancient manuscript.
It contains numerous charms against evil, as well as circles of protection and
the chants to accompany them. The famous chant, ‘Elohim Essaim, I implore you’
is recorded in this book.”
Douglas frowned as he read the paragraph. “Doesn’t sound right, while the book
has charms it doesn’t seem to be its main focus. Anything else?”
“You’re a tough customer kid. I like it,” Mrs. Williams said with a wink. “How
about Grand Grimoire? This is a Book of Magic published in France in around the
18th century, known as The Great Book. It covers necromancy, mainly
communication with the spirits of the dead, and summoning demons.”
“Uh…” Douglas flipped through his book, nodding a little to himself before
blowing a raspberry. “The book does cover necromancy and has some French
writings, but we run into the age issue again.”
Mrs. Williams pulled a pencil from behind her ear, tracing down the index in
her ring binder. “Book of Sacred Magic of Abra-Melin in the Mage,” she declared
with confidence. “Now this is a famous magic book called Abra-Melin. They say
it was written by the sorcerer Abraham of Wurzburg for his son Lamech in the
15th century. But some sources say it was actually written in the 18th century.
It’s a book about the practices of magic, and it contains all sorts of magic
squares.”
Douglas just raised his eyebrows and shook his head. “No good, huh?” Mrs.
Williams sighed.
“Lemegeton. Popularly known as the Lesser Key of Solomon, it’s a great book of
magic said to have been written by King Solomon. It’s also known as the Goetia,
after the first text, or Book One. It’s compromised of four texts in all,” she
showed him the page which had an old black and white photograph of it taped to
the side. “It’s divided into the Ars Goetia, the Ars Theougia, the Ars Paulina,
and the Ars Almadel. It contains information on powerful magic spells such as
how to summon 72 demons, and other charms. It’s the most famous of all the
magic books. Everyone who’s ever tried their hands at magic owns a copy of this
one, along with the Key of Solomon.”
“Very good, very close. There seem to be some summon rituals in here and the
divided parts might explain the different languages,” he said as he held the
book close to the photograph. “Even if it doesn’t fit the picture, it might
just be a different edition.”
“So you’re satisfied son?” she said, resting her elbow on the counter.
“It’s the best match so far, but what else do you got in there?”
Mrs. Williams sighed and puffed out a mouthful of air as she turned the pages
yet again. “Grimorium Verum. This one’s called the Book of Truth, and it was
published in Memphis by the Egyptian Aribek in the 16th century. The original
manuscript was written in Hebrew, using the Key of Solomon as its guide. It’s
said that a Dominican monk translated it into Japanese. There are other books
of magic based on the Key of Solomon, variations such as True Black Magic, or
the Secrets of Secrets, and so on.”
“Interesting…” Douglas scratched the back of his neck. “Say, what with this Key
of Solomon I keep hearing about? Got any info on it?”
“The Key of Solomon. Of all the books of magic, this one is considered to be
the most authoritative. It’s said to have been written by the Hebrew King
Solomon, and there are actually records of its existence dating back to the 1st
century B.C. Because of this, there are many versions in many languages. The
oldest existing edition is the Greek version from the 12th century, and it’s
owned by the British Museum,” seeing Douglas’ apparent interest, she turned the
ring binder over for him to read. “It covers demon-summoning rituals and
various ceremonies in great detail. Countless practitioners of magic have
recognized its power over the years. During the 15th century it was even banned
by the Church. It would be an understatement to say that all books of magic
have been influenced in some way by the Key of Solomon.”
“You know what, Mrs. Williams?” he looked up from the binder and straight into
her eyes. “I think you’re an absolute treasure.”
“Shut up kid, I know that.”
                                        
===============================================================================
 
On his way back home, Douglas hear a car honk at him and he turned to see Kris
in her parent’s car. She waved him over, “Hey Doug. Got a minute?”
Looking both ways before crossing the street, Douglas jogged lightly over to
her. “Sure, what’s up?”
“Promise you won’t laugh or freak out.”
He blinked at her and sighed before he said, “You’re already kinda freaking me
out here Kris…”
“Okay, I managed to lose the spare key to your old place.”
“Oh…” he felt a small stone sink to the bottom of his guts at the news. “And?”
“And I was kinda hopin’ you could let me in,” Kris said, bracing herself for a
rejection, “y’know so I can check on the gear and what not. Plus Scarlet, our
guitarist, need some stuff.”
“Ah- alright, just keep it quick.”
For the drive over to Douglas' childhood home, Kris gave him an update on her
talk with her parents. Needless to say they were less than thrilled to the idea
of letting their baby girl just fly over to Mexico. A hard hitting argument was
not only the high crime rate, but also the brutal nature of the crimes
committed. Kris had found herself scraping the bottom of her wits when she in a
last ditch effort turned to Eddie, of all people, to cover for her. She gave
him a call, put him on speaker and had him going on for a solid two hours about
how Power Girl was totally going to clean that stuff up.
“-so like now, now my dad wants me to call every two days,” Kris closed the car
door with a thud and pocketed the keys, “and I'm like... daaaaaaaaad, once a
week should be enough.”
Douglas smiled and softly shook his head as they walked up to the house.
“They're just worried about you, take it as a compliment Kris. Some parents
just don't care what their kids do.”
“Yeah, I guess. It's just- y'know?” she shrugged and frowned. “How's stuff with
you and Ms. Starr by the way? Eddie told me why you didn't come to the
barbecue.”
He gave her an awkward smile before unlocking the door, short quick steps
carried him inside. “It was just- I don't know- one of those lady things?”
“Lady things? Seriously?” Kris barely held back a chuckle before a realization
apparently grabbed her immediate attention as she said, “Oh, does that mean
she's expec-”
“Lady... things or not, she was apparently having one of those days that strips
you of all tact and tone,” Douglas said before he spun on his heel with a
finger raised. “Not that it's a valid excuse, but at the very least it's an
explanation.”
They spent a small hour double checking that everything was in order as well as
looking for the spare strings and note sheets for Scarlet. Kirs' band members
had, in their brilliance, completely failed to label the various boxes.
Apparently there was a system to it; that certain things were for fruit themed
boxes while others fitted with vegetable boxes, obviously. The fact that Kris
easily got distracted and started skipping down memory lane every now and then
didn't help on their progress either. Eventually though, they found what they
were looking for and nothing was missing either.
“So all in all, I've got a good feeling about this whole Mexico thing. Doting
dad bonus and all,” Kris took her seat behind the wheel while Douglas put on
his seatbelt. “And?”
“And what?”
“What about you Doug? Are you gonna stay here forever under Ms. Starr's wing or
are you gonna be like me and see the world?”
Douglas rolled down the side window and rested his elbow on the opening, “At
some point I guess, but-”
He stopped talking as he spotted something trekking across the sky. It was like
a bright ball of brilliant white fluctuating as it moved, leaving a tiny tail
of brilliant white in its wake. At first he could not quite make the connection
of what he was actually seeing, but then realized it was a shooting star. What
a rare event to see one up so close and in broad daylight no less. A glance
down the street showed that several others, pedestrians and drivers alike, took
pause and watched the ball of fire until it was out of sight.
“-but, ah, nothing as... well, sudden as you.”
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Douglas had barely gotten his foot in the door when someone grabbed him by the
collar and pulled him in, holding him above the floor and up against the wall.
As he adjusted his glasses he saw that coal black rage in Karen’s eyes, her
hand rested by her side curled together into a crude fist, the fingers on her
glove had been burned off. She put pressure on him, adding another small inch
to his distance from the floor, his hands trembling with either adrenaline or
fear folded around her wrist and he tugged at it in some fruitless attempt to
break free. For the first time ever, Douglas was genuinely terrified of Karen
and the things she might do. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that
if Karen snapped free from whatever had held her back in the past, he’d get the
first punch. They’d probably find his teeth on the moon by the looks of it.
“I heard you're going to leave me. I've known it for a while. I wasn't naive to
the news, my mind just couldn't quite grasp it. I only see you with me because
I know the things you like, I know all that you believe and all the plans of
your life,” she said, the words came out like thick joint on a chain, the only
thing that held her back.
“Ka-” he started, but the sound of his voice was cut short by a punch, wrist
deep into the concrete wall and just a thin inch away from his ear.
“So take a minute to understand me, to reevaluate your mind. I'm everything you
need and in this world a good woman is hard to find,” she pulled back her arm
slowly, leaving a gaping hole and dropped Douglas down, who fell to the floor
as his knees could not support him. “And I know you'll miss me when all is said
and done, you'll think about this day and then you'll realize I was the one.”
She left for her room, slamming the door so hard a few pictures fell off the
wall, sending shards of glass flying. Douglas just sat there in the hallway,
the groin of his shorts wet from piss and then the shakes kicked in. Terrible
shakes as if his very soul was freezing to death, sobs and cries scraped
against the walls and floor, hollow wails banged on Karen’s bedroom door and
all that came back was an overwhelming silence. He could barely feel his
fingers and as far as he knew, he’d either gone numb or paralyzed from the
waist down. Somehow he crawled to the kitchen door, carefully brushing shards
of glass aside as best he could. As he leaned against the kitchen counter,
Douglas managed to calm himself enough to feel his legs. The stinging pain from
scrapes and light cuts was the first indication that at the very least he
wasn’t paralyzed, not permanently at any rate.
Douglas turned to paper towels and lukewarm water to clean himself up for now.
Whether it was to regain some sense of self-worth back or just a way to
minimize his own mess so he’d avoid another dance with Karen’s wrath was hard
to say. The sobs were still strong, rocking through his chest and shoulders
like violent waves as he kept their sounds behind a hand carved out of fear,
his nails digging into his skin. Part of him wanted to run, to hide and an even
larger part of him just simply wanted to die. Douglas was no soldier, no cop or
fireman. He was just a kid, a high schooler that was way in over his head.
Where Eddie and Kris splashed around in the kiddie pool, Douglas was all alone
in the ass end of the Pacific with a storm named Karen wreaking havoc around
him.
When he came to, he found himself in bed naked. How he’d gotten there he could
not recall. Black out or something else, Douglas wasn’t sure. A look outside
the window showed that hours had passed since Kris had dropped him off, the
lawn was bathed in long, sharp shadows and a thick orange light. It was when he
softly shifted in his bed that the neck at the back of his neck stood up like
thorns on a cactus. He could feel her gaze on him, even without turning he
could see her in his mind; a dark, towering silhouette with arms crossed across
the chest, leaning against the door frame and horrible, piercing eyes glaring
at him. Douglas just hunched together, holding on to his quilt like a child
using it to ward off evil monsters that go bumping in the night.
“I know you’re awake Douglas, I can hear it on your breathing,” Karen said,
“and your heartbeat.”
Douglas said nothing, he was terrified that his racing heart would somehow
offend Karen and that would be the end of it. His fingers grabbed hold on the
quilt more tightly as he strained his ears. As much as he didn’t want to have
anything more to do with Karen, there was this morbid curiosity that edged him
on regardless.
“Listen very carefully Douglas, for I will say this only once,” she drew a deep
breath. “Stay. Away. From. Kris. Anderson.”
“O-okay…” Douglas whimpered out, all other options were long lost to him. “Uh…
K-Ka-Karen…?”
“…what?”
“I’m so, so sor-”
“We’re way past sorry Douglas!” Karen said as she took a step into the room.
“You’ll have to do better than that.”
It stung, it hurt, all of her words felt searing hot and razor sharp and
Douglas’ mind raced around in circles until he found a faint glimmer of hope.
“…uhm… th-the b-b-book, wh-”
“Oh snap out of it! I know I have superior hearing, but this is insulting. Are
you playing me a fool, Douglas Sutherland?! Huh?!”
Douglas broke down in tears. Karen was gone, some monstrosity was walking
around in her skin, spitting out words that felt like having one’s mind whipped
with barbwire. Even so, at that very moment a warmth began to simmer deep
inside him. It was an anger of his own, not one that he’d point at Karen. That
would be short lived and futile. Instead Douglas would fan that warmth and use
it to smash down his circumstances. He would not endure this a second longer
than he needed to and that damn book was the key.
“No ma’am!” his reply came out sharp, like a cracking bullwhip. “I- I just want
my book back. Please.”
“Don’t you ma’am me you litt-” Karen started as she stomped into the room, yet
paused just as her hand was about to pull Douglas out of bed. She left the room
and as she closed the door behind her, she said, “It’s on the shelf.”
 
===============================================================================
                                        
In the early hours of the following morning, Douglas sat by his desk, looking
for the talisman he’d copied in his note. Since the note had thus hideous dark
brown stain on it, it was next to impossible to make out the words. Hopefully
Douglas would be able to read it in the book, though he’d already stumbled over
several ‘spells’ that were smeared beyond reading. As he flipped yet another
page he let out a sigh of relief. He’d found it, safely intact and fully
readable. It was a charm of sorts, with the talisman as a central piece. It had
the shape of a triangle formed from lines and the names of gods. Around the
circle, a passage written in Latin that read:Benedixitque illis Deus, et dixit
ad eos: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subjicite eam.
Okay, so just what did it do? What did that really mean? Douglas ran it through
some translation software he downloaded on his phone and was almost floored by
the end result, which read: And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be
fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. That explained
where Karen got the baby idea from, despite that she could not have children on
her own. This, for the lack of a better term, arousal charm had essentially
hardwired Karen to put baby making as her number one priority. Or at the very
least on her priority list, though Douglas speculated that her inability to
complete her ‘programming’ bumped it higher and higher on her list. Likewise
this conflict might have caused some sort of negative feedback loop, making
Karen spiral out of control.
As far as why Douglas, of all people, it might be related to the stain on the
note. From what he could tell, a lot of spells required blood in some shape or
form. Either the blood of the target of a curse, or the blood whom should
receive the fruits of a blessing. Since the note was written by him and had his
blood on it, Karen fell head over heels for him? It matched what she’d told him
after they’d made love for the first time. Christ that felt like generations
ago. Anyone and their kitten would agree that magic, curses and blessings was
just a big bag of silly stuff. So why did it work? If magic was such a sure
fire thing, with apparently a 100% success rate, people would be turning lead
into gold seven days a week, right?
“Ugh, what am I missing?” Douglas said, making silly faces as he looked at the
ceiling.
Maybe it was with Kryptonians only that things worked, maybe it was something
with Karen alone and not Kryptonians in general or maybe it had something to do
with long distant stars that had stopped burning ages before the Earth was ever
formed. Whatever the reason, Douglas needed a way to undo it or he feared he
would not live for long. God knew how Karen would handle him passing away.
Douglas suspected that even God didn’t want to know how that would play out. He
turned his attention to the book again, looking for something to undo or
otherwise break a spell. It was doubtful that the arousal charm came with its
own custom made anti-charm, so for now Douglas looked for general purpose spell
breakers.
After hours and hours of searching, Douglas had come up with one. Just one
lousy little spell that was either a breaker or a barrier, depending on the
translation. It was a long shot, one for the books of long shots in history,
but right now it was all that he got. For maximum effect, Douglas figured it
would be best to weaken Karen as much as possible. While true that the arousal
charm was cast on her while she was in her prime, there was nothing in the book
that suggested that this new spell would work in the same manner. Plus it
certainly wouldn’t hurt to downscale Karen’s powers to ‘mere human level,’
though even then she could still beat Douglas to a pulp with one arm behind her
back. Those muscles were not just for show.
Another thing to consider was Karen’s state of mind. Douglas speculated that
Karen’s mind was deteriorating and if he could get her to lower her guard both
mentally and physically, she’d be more susceptible to outside influence.
Lowering her guard might be a tall order, so perhaps a distraction would serve
just as well. There was no helping it, Douglas needed help from the outside in
order to pull this off. Of course there was no way he could talk about it over
the phone with Ms. Bloodhound stalking the manor, let alone simply walk out the
front door.
Up in the leisure room Karen sat on the edge of the pool table, cue stick in
hand as if it was a spear while she eyed the layout, weighing her options.
Douglas approached her and put a bottle of Jack Daniel's along with two glasses
on the table. She looked at the bottle, then at Douglas before scoffing
lightly. “What's this?”
Douglas shrugged and leaned over the pool table, counting the balls with one
finger as he said, “We were out of milkshake.”
She snatched the bottle by the neck and looked it over. For a long moment she
just sat there, bottle resting on her thigh as her mind seemed to drift away to
distant seas. Douglas walked around the table, helped himself with a cue stick
and took a shot. The balls clacked against one another, zipping across the bed
before finding their resting places. On the opposite side of the table, Karen
helped herself to a glass of Jack, her hand absentmindedly shook the glass
around ever so slightly before gulping it down. Coughing and squinting her
eyes, Karen poured herself another glass before scooting one over to Douglas.
“Sure beats yet another sorry,” Karen said into her glass. “Douglas?”
“Yeah?”
“Please don't leave me.”
He picked up his glass and sniffed the orange liquid before he raised it to a
toast, “I won't Karen, I won't.”
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Douglas sat with Karen resting her sleeping head in his lap, his fingers'
tunneling gently through her short blonde hair. An empty bottle of Jack's could
be spotted underneath the pool table and a trail of clothes led up to where
Douglas sat. The phone in his hand kept on ringing and on the tenth ring did
they pick up. “What's up dude?” Eddie sounded sleepy in the other end of the
phone.
“Hey man, me and- uh, Karen had a talk today about Power Girl,” Douglas spoke
with a soft voice, mindful not to wake up Karen, “and we couldn't quite agree
on something, so I was hoping you'd help a brother out.” 
“Yeah? Sure dude, just let me pause this movie,” Eddie rustled around in what
sounded like the leather sofa in the living room before the ambient sounds fell
silent. “So, what's the big deal?”
“Okay, so here's the run down; say Power Girl goes off the rails for whatever
reason. How do you stop her? Karen was under the impression that she could not
be stopped at all, but what do you think?” 
“The hell? What are you and Ms. Starr doing talking about stuff like that for?”
Douglas looked over at his glass resting on the edge of the pool table, still
holding it’s liquid. “You'd be surprised what topics floats to the surface
after a couple of glasses of Jack.”
“Damn son, sometimes I wish my folks were that kinda chill,” Eddie said. “Well
at any rate, Power Girl has a big arsenal of things she can and does throw
around, so it's hard to take her down for sure. However, there are some
weaknesses that the government have identified which can be exploited.”
Eddie started with the psychology of Power Girl, how to turn her temper against
her to lure her into a trap. Secondly, Power Girl is a brawler first and
foremost, so even if she's angry and inside your trap, you don't want to be
anywhere near her, since she'd punch and kick her way through just about
anything. The trick of course is to get a scenario where Power Girl dishes out
a ton of damage while at the same time tanks a ton of damage as well. Eddie's
reasoning was that for all her powers, Power Girl had only a single power
source and a finite energy storage. If you could get her to spend her energy
faster than she could recharge, Power Girl would eventually run dry and be
reduced to the strength and durability of a human for her size and build.
“So you need to get her to somewhere you're not, get her so pissed that she
can't think straight and hit her with everything you've got while tanking a
berserk Power Girl?”
“Yeah, that's ‘bout it.”
Douglas ran his hand over his face and sighed. “Christ, it would be easier to
just drop a nuke on her.”
“Nah, she’d either see or hear it coming from a mile away and dodge it, plus
the drug cartels have been trying to play this angle for years. Lots of guns
and explosives, bunkers and even some surface to air missiles.”
“They have? Well, why haven't they succeeded?”
Eddie munched down on some snacks, talking with half a mouthful, “Guess they
can't get in under her skin? As long as Power Girl keeps her cool and is
disciplined with her powers, girl can keep on going 'til the cows come home.”
Douglas felt Karen shifting a little in her sleep, so he traced some soft
fingers over her cheek while he said, “Interesting, what about live capture?”
“The hell? Why did you get the awesome stepmom? Hang on- let me just double-
check,” Eddie put down the phone and shuffled around in the distance for a few
minutes before he returned. “Here we go... So, a hypothesis put forward by some
dude in the late '90's said that Power Girl has fear for small spaces and
restricted movement.”
Douglas looked around him, the big open leisure room, he thought about the
manor in general and his eyes eventually landed on Karen's naked body by his
side. “Whoa... I- I don't think that's a hypothesis Eddie.”
“Uh-huh... Anyways, this is a lingering scar that she got from spending six
decades in a space pod, the hypothesis say that even as an adult she is
claustrophobic and is prone to panic attacks if her movement is somehow
constrained.”
“One last thing Eddie,” Douglas said as Karen’s arm folded around his waist
like a thick snake, “I think I need to cash in on that Power Girl picture
favor.”
“Oh-kay, what do you have in mind?” Eddie sounded uneasy at the other end.
“I need to borrow the keys to your cabin.”
There was a pause, it seemed to drag on for an eternity and a half before Eddie
finally spoke. “Doug, the hell is going on bro? You can talk to me, right?”
“I- can I borrow the keys Eddie? Yes or no, it’s important.”
“Sure dude, just… you’re not gonna like, shoot yourself or something out there
right?” he said, his tone uncharacteristically concerned, worried even.
“Nope, just need some place quiet. Me and Karen, we- we had a falling out.”
“Over Power Girl trivia? Dude, you can totally crash at my place. Might not be
a fancy manor, but hey… it’s a roof over your head.”
 
===============================================================================
                                        
“Doug? What are you doing here at this hour?” Kris stood in the doorway of her
home, her face in a mix of puzzle and worry. “Holy shit, is that Ms. Starr’s
car? Douglas, what the he-”
“Kris, I really don’t have much time and I’m sorry, but I need you to do
something very important.”
“Doug, I can’t- my flight leaves in 2 hours, I got to get going I ca-”
“I know, I know… Eddie told me you’re going back to Mexico,” Douglas reached
for something in his back pocket and handed it to Kris, “just take this with
you alright? And- and follow- I know this sounds crazy, but follow the
instructions inside to the best of your ability. Oh and don’t- do not open it
until you’re safe on the ground in Mexico, alright? Promise me Kris.”
He looked at his watch; two hours until take off for Kris, five maybe five and
a half hour flight that would leave him with seven or eight hours. It would be
close, way too close for comfort, but as it stood right now Douglas had no
other options open to him. Karen was a big girl and an alien, so he had no idea
how long it would take for her to sleep off and sober up after nearly a full
bottle of Jack Daniel’s. If he’d been a sleazy club goer, he might have had
some sort of roofie drug to buy more time, or known someone who could hook him
up. It was doubtful that Eddie had some or even knew people like that, and
Douglas was acting weird enough as it was. Some meager comfort was that Karen
had been drinking on an empty stomach and heavier stuff than just red wine.
“Listen, I’ve gotta go Kris,” he started to jog back to the car, “do this for
me Kris and I’ll owe you my life.”
White knuckles clung to the steering wheel in a manner of life and death,
Douglas’ face coated with sweat as his eyes flickered back and forth from the
road up ahead and the speedometer down on the dashboard. If the police stopped
him for speeding it would be all over, though with his shattered nerves it
wasn’t easy to keep the car straight or a light foot on the gas pedal. He tried
to take long, deep breaths through a tightly shaped O mouth, huffing and
puffing slow, yet steadily. It didn’t really help all that much, his slow
breath just acted as a reminder that his heart was going at supersonic speeds.
Midway through Muldraugh, Douglas slammed on the breaks and turned a hard
right, down Old Mill Road. A million things were buzzing around inside his head
was bad enough, the nerve-wrecking experience of driving alone from something
that could kick tanks around like little toys certainly didn’t help. With
inferior skills he managed to pull the car over, killing the engine in the
process. He clutched his hands in some obscure prayer as he paced back and
forth, his blood boiling with excitement, worry and adrenaline.
“Okay, calm down. You got this. Think… Kryptonian. Superior hearing, sight,
taste, touch and smell compared to humans,” he mumbled and muttered to himself,
“T-tunnel vision, I’ve got to give her tunnel vision. Th-that’s the key, so-
how do I, of all people, put the fear of God into Power Girl?”
***** Mea Culpa *****
Chapter Summary
     Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor hell a fury like a
     woman scorned
Chapter Notes
See the end of the chapter for notes
A stray beam of midday sunlight jabbed at Karen’s eyes, prompting her to roll
out of the sofa and land hard on the floor. With slow and sluggish movement,
she somehow managed to crawl back into the sofa, clucking out loud while she
looked around. The room felt like a giant ship, rolling from side to side on
massive, lazy waves. She groaned in protest as her head started to throb
whenever she moved it. When she realized she was in the nude, she fumbled
around in a drowsy haze, collecting pieces of clothing scattered about the
floor.
“Patience is a virtue, eh?” she said to no one in particular as she picked up
what looked like one third of the top she’d worn the day before. “Ah crap… we
made a stain. Oh well…”
She sighed and bundled the torn clothes together in a big messy ball when she
suddenly froze. Something was not right, something was missing or rather
someone was missing. Her eyes searched from left to right, her hearing strained
enough to catch the sound of the fly buzzing around in the garage. Nothing.
Karen tossed the bundled clothes aside and headed straight for Douglas’ room.
It was empty. “Douglas? Where are yo-” she turned and saw the brick rock laying
on the floor in Douglas’ reading room, surrounded by broken glass.
A small second ticked by as Karen’s hung over brain connected the dots. Then,
like a shell fired from a canon, Karen shot through the walls, cutting through
the kitchen and hallway, heading straight for her wardrobe where she suited up
before she went straight up through the ceiling. She hit supersonic not ten
feet after she’d gotten clear of the roof, shaking and breaking just about
every window in Dreadwood. Once up in the air she put her eyes to good use,
combining x-ray and telescopic vision to cover all of Deadwood in less than a
minute. Nothing. She screamed, a hollow cry of unchained wrath and despair.
“I’ll kill ‘em! I’ll kill every la-” she stopped her rage dead in its tracks as
her eye caught a small, yet vital detail; her car was missing.
Power Girl landed hard in her own driveway, the ground shook as if hit by a
mortar shell. She hunched down on all fours she sniffed around like a dog;
gasoline, oil, rubber and Douglas. Did they arrive on foot, snatch him and the
car? A curious crowd had started to form on the edges of her property, their
eyes big as frying pans, clouded with worry. Power Girl didn’t give them the
light of day, they would simply have to wait and stay out of her way. At least
she had something now, a lead, something to look for. Find the damn car and
you’ll be one step closer to Douglas, easy peasy lemon squeezy.
Again she took to the skies and looked around. More than once she almost darted
down, only to stop herself when she realized that particular car wasn’t hers.
Seconds felt like hours and she’d already been out of it for, what? Nine, ten
hours? Maybe even more, with her hang over she couldn’t tell. Stars above,
Douglas could be in the ass end of Europe by now or stuffed inside a shipping
container trekking across the pacific. Louisville; that would be the most
logical place to take him if they wanted some distance between him and her
fast. Even so, Power Girl couldn’t shake the feeling that whomever had done
this wouldn’t do something that obvious. They’d want to hide him right under
her nose while she wasted even more time flying all over the world.
One last time she looked towards the south, Fort Knox and the Godman Army Air
field. She seriously doubted it, but there was a faint chance that this was
some stunt pulled by the brass with agent Reese in the lead. If that was the
case, there would be hell to pay, presidential promises be damned. Just as her
gaze was to turn towards Louisville she saw it, her car parked on the side of
Old Mill Road. It wasn’t much, just a faint candle against the pitch black
night, but it was something. Power Girl dived down and left a landing track
twenty feet long in the dirt.
An all too familiar smell tickled her nose and it sent a giant centipede of
fear up and down her spine. Blood, there was no mistaking it. She looked over
the car, air bags triggered and some broken glass with long stripes of blood
smeared along the backseats. Power Girl felt her knees started to shake while
her fingers dug into the car, bending and distorting the metal as if it was
made of paper. Her eyes clotted with tears as she found herself shaking her
head in disbelief. For all her strength, speed and what have you, she could not
keep this one person safe. The rage started burning inside her.
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no,” she grabbed on to the side of the car and hurled
it away, sending it crashing into the trees, “NO!”
Douglas’ sent was still there. She’d follow it, she’d follow it to the ends of
the Earth and stars above have mercy on whomever she found at the end of the
trail, because she would not give any quarter. The trail took Power Girl down
along the Wilderness Camp Road for quite the stretch when it strayed from the
road and disappeared into the woods. She kept on the trail, punching trees out
of her way and kicking rocks asunder. The woods around her fell silent, not the
quiet calm humans often find when surrounding themselves with nature. This was
the dead silence of horror movies, how even Mother Nature held her breath as
the monster trekked through the lands.
Power Girl sighed, punching a young tree out of her way as she mumbled under
her breath, “Yeah, yeah… everyone’s scared of the big, bad alien.”
It was a small blessing in disguise though, all things considered. With even
the tiny ants stopped dead in their tracks in fear of the extra-terrestrial,
Power Girl could easier use her hearing to find clues. Aside from distant
traffic and pointless chatter however, there was nothing that proved helpful in
her search. After a while Power Girl noticed a change in the trail, another
smell became more and more dominant. Vaseline, the realization made Power Girl
ditch walking in favor of flying, showing no regard to whatever came in her
way.
“Clever little bastards,” she said when she found a discarded first aid kit and
what smelled like Douglas’ clothes. “Cover his smell with Vaseline and a fresh
batch of clothes.”
She held his shirt tight and close to her face, her breathing escalating into
hyperventilating territory. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. Power Girl
clung to the fabric, pulled at it while burying her face in it to muffle her
own cries. As she fell to her knees, a hand frantically collected the remaining
clothes and she hugged them close like a priceless treasure. Power Girl cried,
loud and hard, biting into the clothes while rocking back and forth ever so
gently. Abruptly she stopped, her cheeks wet with tears, as a thought crossed
her mind. The cellphone she’d bought Douglas, where was it? Quickly she patted
the clothes up and down, right and left. Nothing. With clothes still firmly in
her arms, Power Girl took to the skies yet again. A faint shimmer of hope
lighted up ahead, like a distant star.
When she arrived back at Starr manor, it had now turned into quite the circus
with police, fire department, press and a spectating crowd buzzing about. Like
so many times before, people looked up and pointed when she made her decent.
Cameras and microphones popped up into the air as well. Needless to say agent
Reese was on the scene as well. Power Girl landed and ignored everyone as she
headed straight for her office. Along the way a couple of police officers
flinched to attention as she walked by. A lone firefighter was in her office,
examining the hole in the floor and ceiling. Power Girl hissed her heat vision
at him, enough for him to feel it on his skin without hurting him. He quickly
left, practically tripping down the stairs.
It didn’t take long before agent Reese joined her as she started typing away on
her computer. “What the hell is going on?” he said, there was no mistaking that
he was shaken to the core.
Power Girl just barely glanced up from her screen as her only acknowledgement
of his existence and resumed her work. She looked down on the floor, the irises
in her eyes glowed brightly as she searched the entire manor for any trace of
Douglas’ cellphone. Nothing. She looked over the garage as well for extra
measure. Again nothing, though some of the chains used for the engine hoist
were missing. Restraints for Douglas perhaps? In a desperate effort to get
through to Power Girl, agent Reese grabbed the edge of her monitor and tried to
shove it aside. With reflexes of a snapping rattlesnake, Power Girl’s hand
locked around his wrist and stopped him dead in his tracks.
“Not now,” she said, “I’ll deal with your lot later.”
Her computer search came up with the search result. Douglas cellphone was in
Mexico, in the middle of nowhere as far as she could tell. A sense of dread
sank down in her gut at the size of a bowling ball. The cartels. Power Girl
didn’t know how, when or why, but somehow they’d learned about Douglas, her
identity and snatched him. Well if they wanted to play in the big leagues,
which was fine by her, Power Girl would just have to humor them, now wouldn’t
she? She walked past agent Reese without a word and flew off through the hole
in the ceiling. Mexico, ready or not, Power Girl is coming your way.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
When she’d worked together with the authorities, Power Girl had been the
battering ram to punch through the cartel’s defenses. With the precision of a
scalpel, she’d flown in and gone straight for their guns. It helped to look at
it like a sport, the age old mantra of soccer for example. Go for the ball, not
the player. Power Girl never learned how to fight, not properly at any rate.
She was strong enough to punch through concrete and could get shot by tank
shells and still be standing. The whole dodge, block, parry and creating
openings was made redundant thanks to her powers. If anything, Power Girl had
to learn how to hold back. If she didn’t and she hit someone, they’d explode
like a water balloon filled with red water.
Now though, she was flying solo. The authorities would just slow her down and
she’d lost nearly half a day already. Power Girl had seen what the cartels did
to people that crossed them. For this reason, above all else she ditched the
scalpel in favor of the chainsaw, and holding back? The term was a sick joke at
this point and she for one was not laughing. She felt the air friction on her
knuckles flare up, the searing flames obscuring her view. No matter, she’d gone
up and down this route enough to do so blindfolded. Looking down at the distant
mountain tops, scattered lakes and thin rivers, Power Girl tried to think of
which cartel was the most likely candidate for the kidnapping. She’d hit all
the big ones equally hard, refusing to let one get ahead of the others.
“Well that kinda sucks, now doesn’t it? Guess I’ll just have to knock on all
the doors until someone gets me some answers.”
Leaving all subtly at the border, Power Girl went straight for the cartel HQ,
prying open the jaws of the beast. They didn’t exactly roll over and play dead,
though it didn’t take long for them to realize that Power Girl wasn’t here to
play. She didn’t go for the guns, she went for the limps holding them. It was a
weird feeling, to pull joints apart or bend them in directions that weren’t
natural. While it did send some of the cartel thugs running for the hills,
others fell back and rearmed themselves with bigger guns. Buildings got toppled
as she went deep into the basement, standing in front of a massive vault door.
Power Girl vented her rage on it, punching and pummeling the door into
submission with thugs shooting her in the back.
When the vault door finally gave in and she tore it off its hinges, she threw
it at her opponents with enough force to punch through the villa and leave the
premises. Nothing. Well, the vault contained stacks of cash taller than
herself, but no Douglas. It was a far-fetched hope that they’d put him in here
where she would have a hard time both hearing and seeing him. After setting the
money ablaze with her heat vision out of pure spite, Power Girl scanned the
villa with her x-ray vision for more traces of Douglas. She found a small room
that she could not see through, a panic room of sorts.
“$50 that Mr. what’s-his-face is pissing his pants in there.”
While the panic room wasn’t poorly made, it wasn’t nearly as secure as the main
vault. Power Girl made short process of it, heating up the metal and punching
through before prying out a gap big enough for her to walk through. True
enough, the drug lord sat hunkered down in a corner, trembling like a little
child. A thought occurred to Power Girl as she, with long angry strides, walked
up and grabbed the drug lord. He might have been set up by some inspiring
underling or some lieutenant had this brilliant idea and executed it without
him knowing. Holding the man by the collar of his shirt, Power Girl walked back
outside where his thugs waited guns ready. The drug lord screamed and cursed as
his arm brushed against the red hot metal when he got hauled out of the panic
room.
“Where is he?!” she said, holding the drug lord up high between her and the
thugs.
“Who?!”
Power Girl reached inside his mouth and pulled out a tooth. “Douglas! Douglas
Sutherland! Where is Douglas?!”
The drug lord spat at her face, a repulsive mix of blood and saliva. Power
Girl’s palm folded around his hand and she squeezed. His face grew redder and
redder, the receding hairline turned into the edge of a waterfall of sweat and
when the first bone broke, he cried. She repeated her question thirty two
times, each time a tooth came out. The thugs were apparently too shocked and
scared to shoot, or maybe they did shoot. Power Girl wasn’t sure, she was so
focused on the drug lord she didn’t notice.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Five cartel HQ’s later and Power Girl found herself on the run from the Mexican
military. She wasn’t sure if it was because the government was genuinely
worried about the safety of their citizen or if the remaining cartels pooled
together enough cash to make it happen. By now she was scraping the bottom of
the barrel of her energy reserves. Sun was setting and if she took any heavy
hits now, she wouldn’t have enough juice to fly across the border. At least the
hang over was clearing up, kinda.
As Power Girl landed on a deserted road, she looked herself over. She sniffed
at her shoulder and the smells of combat and death rolled over her, a sickening
combination of sweat, blood and gunpowder. It was enough to make her stomach
turn. Looking over her costume, it too had seen better days; her cape as
littered with bullet holes, one glove dangled loosely around her wrist and she
was hard pressed to find a white spot on her suit. Somewhere along the line
she’d even lost her belt. Power Girl looked and smelled like a piece of shit
and she felt like one to, a big pile of fresh shit.
It was not without reason that she’d chosen this particular stretch of road to
land however. These were the coordinates for Douglas’ phone. The idea that the
cartel were hurting her Douglas had made her forget all about the phone and
instead rushed straight into a series of pointless fights. Hindsight is indeed
20/20. After some long minutes of searching, she found it by the wayside still
going strong. Power Girl took a seat at the edge of the road and pulled her
knees close to her chest. For a long, long time she just sat there, looking up
at the sky. The sun faded past the horizon, leaving only a thin line of orange
that changed into purple before being swallowed by the dark blue of the night
sky.
“So, what do you have for me, huh?” she sniffed and started browsing through
the phone.
There wasn’t much, Douglas wasn’t exactly the most tech savvy kid she’d known.
Everything was on default, except the battery settings. No pictures, no logs,
no videos – just one unread text message from a strange, unknown number. Power
Girl struggled to keep her eyes from falling asleep, going all out with a
hangover was definitely catching up to her. She should probably just fly low,
stay below the radar and hunker down somewhere just across the border. It was
unlikely at this point, but she could carry on the search tomorrow. If nothing
else, she hoped she’d at least find a body to bury. Now there’s a cheerful
thought.
She tapped the message and just looked at it, her dead tired mind needed a good
minute to reboot and scramble all men on deck. Numbers, GPS coordinates and a
‘best regards, Douglas.’ The phone broke in her hand, shards of glass and metal
shot off in random directions. She’d been played and she’d been played well.
Led around by the nose by a goddamn high schooler. Oh even those dead cartel
thugs would be pissing their pants when they heard what Douglas went through
after she got her hands that little shit. The coordinates pointed to somewhere
just east of the Otter Creek Outdoor Recreation Area, all the way back at good
ol’ Kentucky USA. It didn’t matter, nothing did at this point. She’d give him a
piece of her mind and then some. Right now.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Her landing was everything but graceful. Power Girl ran out of juice, or at
least she was so low she could no longer sustain her flight and found herself
tumbling through branches, trees and rocks. Pulling herself up, she groaned and
spat curses left and right. Even her invulnerability was wearing off if her
aching muscles and strained joints were any indication. Regardless, Power Girl
pressed on as soon as she got her bearings. The lonely cabin came into view as
she staggered and fumbled across the uneven moss covered ground.
Power Girl strained her eyes and ears. Nothing. No one was inside the cabin,
just vague outlines of nails, an old fire stove made of lead and an axe. She
sniffed and looked around, calming her ragged breath. The tall silhouettes of
dark trees stabbed upwards at the night sky, distant stars shimmered cold and
bright. This was it, wasn't it? This was the place, right around here. Another
step along the way before Douglas would send her to Italy or wherever? She
laughed a sad laugh, covering her mouth when she realized the despair in her
voice. Goose chase, she was on a wild goose chase.
She was about to call it quits, tuck in for the night and just deal with all
the mess she'd left behind tomorrow, when she spotted something. A storm
cellar. Power Girl grabbed the handle on the door and pulled. It didn't budge,
apparently locked from the inside. She put more effort into it, but it was no
use. Without her super strength, she was not in any position to pry these doors
open. Either Douglas was down there or his next clue would be down there.
A thought finally surfaced in her tired mind. She'd spotted an axe inside the
cabin. Power Girl headed over and pulled off her cape. Tumbling it around her
hand like a crude and improvised boxing glove, she punched through one of the
windows. Inside she found the axe and left out the door. Halfway through
towards the storm cellar, Power Girl stopped and looked back at the cabin.
“The door was open the whole time?” she shook her head and sighed. “Put it on
the tab I suppose, put it on the tab.”
With axe in both hands she took a swing and planted the blade firmly into the
wooden door. Hard, heavy work considering how tried she was. Her shoulders
ached with every swing and the axe's handle wasn't kind to her hands either.
Power Girl found some comfort that she wasn't in any rush. If Douglas was down
there, they'd talk or rather she'd talk and he'd do a whole lot of listening.
If that wasn't the case, well at least she had a place to sleep until daytime
creeped over the horizon.
After about half a dozen chops at the door, she'd managed to make a gap large
enough for her to put her hand through and hopefully reach the lock on the
inside. She fumbled with the lock, venting hoarse groans of frustration as it
refused to cooperate. The wooden splinters stabbed into her skin, drawing
blood. Now that's a sight you don't see every day. Another frustrating minute
ticked by before the lock finally cracked aside and Power Girl could swing open
the door. The inside of the storm cellar was for all sense and purposes pitch
black, what little light the night offered did not reach this far.
There was a tiny source of light, like something akin to a flashlight was
turned upside down and only small streaks of light escaped along the uneven
dirt floor. Just as Power Girl hunched down on one knee to pick it up,
something hit her across her back. It was hard, heavy and clunky like a chain.
She staggered around and caught a blurry glimpse of Douglas, metal chains in
his hands. He hit her again and again until she faltered on the ground,
covering her head with her arms.
 
===============================================================================
                                        
Douglas looked down at Power Girl, beaten and crawling along the floor. He
didn't have much time and although he'd run this over in his head dozens of
times already, his hands were shaking and he felt his legs freezing up. With a
grunt he inched closer to her with one more step until he stood over her. He
reached down and wrapped the chains around her waist, under her arms a few
times. She protested, squirmed around and kicked her legs. Even when he put his
whole weight down on her, she still managed to almost break free a couple of
times. Finally Douglas managed to get the chains around her arms a few times
and coiled the remaining length around her legs before closing the loop with a
padlock.
“I'm sorry Karen, I'm so sorry,” he said, gasping for air as he wiped the sweat
from his forehead, “but- uh, you'll- you'll just have to put up with it for a
little while, okay?”
He fumbled around in his pockets and found a box of matches. Power Girl pulled
and strained her restraints, grunts and cries intermixed into a bone chilling
song. Douglas struck a match and lit an old oil lamp that hung in the ceiling
before he came around and pocketed the cell phone that laid on the floor. Her
eyes grew wild and wide as she saw the dark, sharp shadows dance and scrape
against the walls of the cellar. With a firm hand he pulled at the chain,
rolling Power Girl over so that they were face to face. Her tear smeared face,
dirty and tired made Douglas pause. The fear in her eyes, her rapid, shallow
breaths stabbed at his heart like a thousand hot needles.
“I gave you all a woman could give you. Made sure I found the time, to keep it
all together, but the way you're treating me isn’t right. Why are you treating
me this way?! Do you enjoy to see our love fade away?!” her words came out with
a fearful resentment before she collapsed back down, whimpering out one last
plea. “Can't face the world without you, can't even sleep at night. Gave you
all that I treasured and I tried to love you with all my might. And I know
you'll miss me when all is said and done. You'll think about this day and then
you'll realize I was the one.”
Douglas looked away, unable to face the pleas and judgment of her eyes. “I
command you. Hain Lon Hilay Sabaoth Helim Radisha… Ledieha Adonai Jehova Jah
Tetragrammaton Sadai… Mesias,” his voice was shaking, yet commanding as he read
the words from a crumpled post-it note. He placed one bandaged hand over her
mouth and their eyes locked as he said, “El Elohim… Elohi Elohei Sabaoth Elion
Sadai… Ehyeh Asher… Ehyeh Adonai… Jah Sadai… Tetragrammaton Sadai… Aigoso O
Theos Ischiros Athanaton… Agla Amen…!”
A sharp sting hit his hand, like a strong spark of static electricity. Douglas
jerked it back and rubbed the palm of his hand just as a sudden gust of wind
washed into the cellar, blowing out the lamp. Save the creaking sound of the
oil lap swaying back and forth, the room was silent as the grave. Douglas
struck a new match and relit the lamp before he checked on Karen. Her breathing
was steady and calm, checking for pulse proved fruitless because Douglas was
unsure where to check, both on humans and kryptonians. Still as far as he could
tell, she was just asleep.
“Did I do it...?” he said to himself with a low voice, his fingers stroking
aside her blonde hair.
Opening an old chest, Douglas pulled out a couple of sleeping bags and some
pillows. He tried to drag Karen over, but she proved to weigh a ton and simply
would not budge. As a compromise, he put the pillow under her head and folded
the sleeping back over her as best he could. Taking his place by her side, he
looked up at the ceiling for a long time, hoping to simply fall asleep. When
that proved fruitless, Douglas turned over and placed his arm over Karen,
pulling himself close. He looked at the key to the padlock, rolling it between
his fingers. After listening to her calm breathing for the longest time, sleep
finally found him.
 
===============================================================================
 
It was just before noon when Douglas woke up, drowsy and with a pain in the
neck that suggested he'd slept at an odd angle for too long. By his side, Karen
was still sound asleep with a classy line of drool that went from the corner of
her mouth to the pillow below. Groaning a little before holding back a yawn,
Douglas shook Karen's shoulder a little in an effort to wake her up. No
response, she was about a galaxy away by the sound of her snoring. He patted
her cheeks lightly and even pulled her nose, but got no response.
Douglas sighed and shook his head. “Cold water it is then,” he said.
While not ice cold fresh from the fridge, the bottled water did wake her up.
She spluttered and kicked around, her vibrant blue eyes blinked out the water
and found Douglas. He took a small step back, clutching the bottle close and
gave her a meek little wave along with a sheepish smile. One second ticked by,
then another and suddenly Karen sprung to life; wiggling, struggling and
pulling against her chains. Like a fish out of water, she hobbled and bumped
around the floor, kicking the sleeping bag aside while her grunts and panted
breath started to slide into whimpers and cries.
Douglas stepped up and pulled her into his arms, hugging her and holding her
tight. “It's okay Karen, it's okay...” his bandaged hand found the back of her
head, patting it gently.
“You hit me,” the words had all the tones of a childish pout.
“Yea-”
Karen buried her face into his shoulder. “You even tied me up.”
Douglas sighed, looking up at the oil lamp in the ceiling. “Guilty as charged.
So, are- are you okay now? Like, normal?”
“I stink of sweat, blood and combat, I've trekked from Kentucky to Mexico and
back, done all sorts of nasty, brutal things to bad people. No, I'm not okay,”
she said.
Douglas smiled and fished out the key from his pocket. “I take that as a yes.”
Leaving the storm cellar, Karen stood in the bright sunlight with a calm smile
on her face while Douglas fixed some simple breakfast on the stove in the
cabin. Some warm porridge and a couple of cups of coffee was perhaps not a
feast for kings and queens, but at least it was something. For all the things
she'd been through, there was nothing wrong with her apatite. There was a brief
moment that Douglas was worried she might eat the bowl and the spoon when he
saw how quickly she wolfed it down.
“So, how'd you do it?”
Douglas looked up from his coffee cup, “Do what?”
“Your grand plan. It was impressive all things considered, I'll give you that
much,” she said while giving him a sideways glance. “Some real Breaking Bad
stuff. Heisenberg would be proud.”
“I- uh... asked Eddie for some tips and, well... took a lot of gambles along
the way. It felt like a million things could go wrong, I was a wreck,” he said,
cupping the coffee cup. He was not used to the taste of coffee yet and it
showed on his face whenever he took a sip. “I gave my cellphone to Kris, turned
off inside an envelope along with instructions to turn it on and dump it
somewhere remote in Mexico. From there I, uh- went shopping. Which reminds me.”
He pulled out his wallet and handed over a credit card to Karen. Her eyes were
narrow as she snatched it with a quick flick of her wrist. “I saw your pin code
when we shopped for watermelons. Guess the only reason why I remembered it was
because you beat that guy in the parking lot. Uhm, anyway... Faking a
kidnapping was, well terrifying to be honest. If you'd woken up when I threw
that brick through the window it would have been all over. Sorry about that, by
the way.”
Karen leaned back on her arms, “Oh, a broken window is the least of your
worries Douglas.”
“Figures,” he nodded before taking a small sip from his cup. “Well, I took the
car and drove off. I'd already cashed in a favor from Eddie, so I could use his
dad's cabin. My only chance to get the best of you would be to play on your
fears, gambling that it would give you a tunnel vision so you wouldn't look for
other options, you'd take the shortest route.”
“You remembered my commitment against the drug cartels as well as their
reputation for brutal nature,” Karen said, nodding to herself. She scoffed
lightly.
“Yeah...” Douglas looked around, the winds ruffled the trees in a gentle dance.
“I broke the car window, and triggered the airbag by mistake, used a shard of
glass to cut myself. The implication that I was hurt would make you worry sick,
at least that was the intent. Plus, I needed blood for the spell to work. Since
I don't have access to a metric ton of guns or explosives, I gambled that you'd
rush to the cartels and you two would duke it out.”
“Oh, you have noooooooo idea,” she said into her cup, scooping up the last of
her coffee. “The Vaseline and clothes?”
“Dumb luck,” he let out a light chuckle, shaking his head in disbelief at his
own fortune. “When I bought sleeping bags, food, padlock, and a pre-paid phone,
the store manager thought I was running away from home and gave me a few tips
on how to avoid the bloodhounds the cops would no doubt send after me. It never
even crossed my mind to consider my sent trail.”
“And you used your pre-paid phone to send a text to yourself, that I'd see when
I found it.”
He looked at his bandaged hand, turning his wrist around. “Snatched the GPS in
your car to get the coordinates. Sorry about that. I'm sorry about a lot of
things now that I think about it. Anyway, I hid in the storm cellar, hoping the
dirt would make me harder to spot even with your x-ray vision.”
“But you hit me from behind,” Karen reminded him.
“Yeah... I was going to ambush you down there, but it'd be pointless if you'd
still have some power in reserve. I needed somehow to gauge if it was worth it
or if I should just surrender.” Douglas lifted up one foot, the laces on his
shoe was missing. “Managed to close the doors from the outside after about an
hour of fiddling around, then I hid behind the stove. Figured even with x-ray
you wouldn't be able to see through it, but of course you could have spotted me
through the roof or if you'd come in from another angle.”
“Ah, that's why the cabin was unlocked.”
“Pretty much, I almost shit myself when you broke through the window. Like
straight from a horror movie.”
 Karen smiled and put her cup aside. “Yeah? Maybe I should invest in a hockey
mask.”
The conversation died down. She rested on her side, supporting her weight on
her elbow while her fingers fiddled with the grass. Peace and quiet, a welcome
change from the hectic times of yesterday. Douglas waited, there was no
shortage of things unsaid between the two of them. He was uncertain of how to
approach it, how to phrase himself so Karen would understand. Hopefully things
would be easier now that she was, well, normal again. This time around she
wouldn't evade the topic, together they'd set the record straight. Hopefully.
“Karen?” she turned and looked him in the eyes, her face curious. “I'm sorry.
About everything.”
She sighed and flicked a small pebble away. “Things could have gone worse, but
not by much. You didn't cast that... spell or whatever, on me on purpose, did
you?”
Douglas straightened up and cleared his throat. “No ma'am, that was an accident
and completely unintentional. It was more like a charm than a spell actually.”
“And when you found out about it, you didn't try to take advantage of it
either,” she said while scratching her cheek absentmindedly.
“Yes ma'am, I tried to figure out how to undo it as soon as I could.”
“Alright,” she rose to her feet, dusting off her suit a little, “I suppose we
should get going. Back to the real world.”
Douglas fumbled as he got to his feet, a confused expression on his face. “Ah,
you're not mad or anything? I thought-”
“Douglas,” she said, putting one hand on his shoulder, “you did the right
thing. Had you cast that charm on me with the intent of turning me into some
glorified fucktoy, it'd be a different story. Had you changed your attitude,
milk it for all it was worth, once you learned I was under that charm's
influence, it'd be a different story. You did neither.”
“Yeah, but-” he started, though Karen put a finger on his lips.
She smiled a soft and tender smile. “I wasn't trapped inside some mind prison
Douglas. The spell just- amplified things in my mind, in my heart. Things I'd
made peace with years ago. It was all me, all the time.”
“But,” Douglas took her hand in both of his, “was it real? What we had?”
Karen sighed and her face turned sad, almost on the verge of tears. “No, not
like that.”
A wind rushed through the trees and she turned her back on him, walking away
with slow steps. Douglas felt his eyes burn as a ball of emotions started to
swell in the back of his throat. Through the long hours when he'd waited for
Power Girl to make her way to the cabin, the thought had occurred to him. That
what he and Karen had together was built on a false foundation, a foundation
that would crumble and fall once the charm got undone. A poetic justice
perhaps, that this would be his punishment for artificially creating love,
unintentional or not.
He ran past her, disappearing inside the cabin. Karen stopped and looked after
him, letting out a sigh heavy enough to send her soul off to the other side.
Inside the cabin, Douglas started packing his things. His face was beet red,
tears trekked down his cheeks and despite the sobs wreaking havoc on his
breathing, Douglas' hands moved with sharp and hard intent. When his hand found
the grimoire, he paused. A hand gently touched his shoulder and he looked up at
Karen. Somehow he knew, from the look on her face or the color of her eyes, she
understood.
“...why not?” the words barely came out past Douglas' lips.
“First thing that comes to mind is the age of consent,” her voice too was
struggling to hold back the tears, “and then there's the difference in our age.
I'm 57 years old Douglas, stuck in a 28 year old body. You're 16, both in mind
and body. Then- then there's our history.”
She reached down and pulled the book from him. Douglas' sobs got louder as he
said, “But I did nothing wrong...”
“I know, I know...” Karen glared at the book, the smell of burned paper started
to fill the room as she tossed the book inside the stove, closing the door
shut. “I'll support you financially of course, so you don-”
Douglas spun around, locking his arms around her waist and hugging her with all
his might. “It's not about the money! It never was!”
“Douglas,” Karen's voice was soft and tender, while her hands were gentle, yet
strong as they pulled his arms away. She kneeled down and cupped his face in
her hands as she said, “I can't- I'm not your mother. I- I don't love you
Douglas, not as a lover, not as a mother. That wasn’t real.”
“Can- can't you learn to love me,” his eyes blinked behind his glasses, a fat
tear ran down his cheek, “the way I learned to love you?”
“Oh Douglas, sweet, sweet Douglas,” Karen rested her forehead against his, “we
can't. We can't go back to where we once were because it was never real. I know
you're hurting right now. I really do. I've been there Douglas, plenty of
times. You'll pull through this, I know you will.”
She took his hands, pulled him back up on his feet and swiped away his tears.
Lifting him in her arms, Karen held him gently as a priceless treasure and
walked outside into the sun before taking to the air. They glided through the
air, high above the towns below them, only the occasional white puffy cloud
obscuring their view. Douglas pulled himself closer, not out fear that he'd
fall, but from knowing that Karen would soon be out of his life, reduced to a
distant star he could no longer reach. They landed just outside Douglas’
childhood home, a landing soft as a feather.
“I still don’t understand, Karen,” Douglas said, shifting his backpack on his
shoulder, “why we can’t… be.”
Karen sighed and looked up at the sky for a long moment. “A number of reasons
Douglas. When you led me by the nose, I did some bad things. Really bad. Don’t
think I’ll be there for you when I face the consequences of my actions,” she
looked at him for a while, as if saying goodbye. “You deserve better Douglas,
something true, honest and real.”
“And we can’t have that? Start fresh?”
“No, not right out the gate,” Karen took a step, a hand reached out as if she
wanted to touch him, before she stopped herself. “I suppose the answer to ‘why
not’ would be me. When I look at you… I feel- it’s- I’m conflicted. You did
right by me, but what we had was nevertheless wrong or at the very least build
on the wrong foundation. I don’t know. Guess I’ll need time to sort this out in
my head. Thought I’d seen and heard it all. Apparently not.”
“What if I wait?”
Karen let out a light chuckle, the first trace of laughter in a long time. “You
shouldn’t put your life on pause on my account. Live, love and laugh Douglas.
Please?”
“Will I see you again someday?”
Karen took to the air, a slow and steady ascent. There was a mournful look on
her face, even though her lips showed hints of a smile. She drew a deep breath
and held it before she said, “…someday…” and then she was gone.
Chapter End Notes
     I made it! Wrote my very first smut to completion. Alright, interwebz
     high-five to me. Wow, what a journey. What started as a silly little
     idea that was never meant to see the light of day, really grew up to
     be something else. It's rough around the edges, I'll admit and not
     just in the typos/grammar department. At some point I'd like to
     revisit it and do a revised edition, but for now I'm done, both with
     this story and smut in general.
     At any rate, I shouldn't ramble. A big thanks to all you 142 (in the
     time of this writing) peepz that dropped me a kudos. A massive thank
     you to commenters - it's always nice to hear from fans or just
     confirmation that I even have fans. And of course a special thank you
     to the odd, yet lovable gang over at the fanfiction subreddit
     (reddit.com/r/fanfiction).
     So, onward to the next project! Bye, bye! :D
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