Schism

by Raiko Toho

Disclaimer: I don't own DC Animated/Comics.

Summary: Sequel to Survival. Barbara and Kara have been together for a while, but now someone wants to split them apart. Their love might not be enough to overcome their new enemy-- or the schism between them.

---

A shadowy figure, seated on a dark, angular iron throne, glared down at the marble chessboard resting in front of him. The white queen slid two spaces away of its own accord, and his eyes narrowed.

"No, this won't do at all." He reached for a black pawn, only to impact an invisible barrier before he could make contact. With a hiss of anger, he snapped his fingers, summoning a servant.

"Bring me the sorcerer!" As the servant scurried away, the pawn slid into place. The figure's eyes gleamed in satisfaction.

"Check."

---

"Hey, Kara," I called over the bustle of the Iceberg, leaning across the counter and giving her a quick kiss. "How was your day?"

She shrugged, smiling as she slid onto a stool. "Same as usual."

"That basketball player make a pass at you again?" I asked.

"He just doesn't get it," she sighed. "No matter how many times I tell him I not interested."

"I could knock some sense into him," I offered, tapping the bar top for emphasis as I slid her drink over. "He probably deserves it."

"It doesn't matter," Kara waved it off. She changed the subject. "So, we still on for tomorrow morning?"

I grinned. "Hell yeah." We had been planning this date for a while-- I had used up a chunk of my vacation days a few months back, and it was harder to get off work. I'd have to wake up ridiculously early to make the matinee, but watching giant robots kill each other on the silver screen was something I wouldn't miss for the world. Of course, sitting for a few hours with Kara in a darkened, mostly empty theater was always a plus.

A bright figure caught my eye as she danced through the door connecting the two parts of the bar and lounge. "Incoming," I whispered.

Kara smiled smugly. "Got her three minutes ago." She had already pulled her hair into a ponytail and shrugged off her letter jacket, revealing a fitted white t-shirt.

I busied myself with cleaning glasses, watching Harley's futile attempt to sneak up to us from the corner of my eye. "So, did you hear the news?" I drawled casually, a smirk tugging up the corner of my lips.

Kara didn't get a chance to answer. Shouting a war cry, the clown sent her flying off the chair in a modified judo throw, tossing her upside down. With the ease of long practice, the blonde hit the floor with both hands, then bounced off and back onto her feet.

"Once again, Kara takes the gold with a beautiful back handspring!" I finished triumphantly.

"Hi, Harley," Kara laughed, straightening her clothes.

"Hi!" Harley slid onto a free stool, swiveling happily, as Kara reclaimed her seat. "Ivy here yet?"

"Nope."

"Yeah," Kara said at the same time, with a faraway look in her eyes. "She just came in." We all turned to the door to see, sure enough, a green-clad figure irritably shaking raindrops out of her red hair.

I smiled as Harley cartwheeled off. The whole gang was here, Batman hadn't bothered me for a while, and I had a date tomorrow. Life was good.

It didn't last.

---

I jerked awake as the door slammed shut, nearly sliding off the couch I had fallen asleep on. The digital display hanging on the wall said it was four in the afternoon-- way later than I usually slept, but in my defense, yesterday had been longer than I was used to.

"What's up?" I asked as Kara stormed into the room.

"Max Devreaux," she growled angrily. "That idiot needs to grow a brain."

"Again?" I asked, sitting up. "If you want, I'll ask someone to pound him. Eddie owes me a couple of favors."

"No," she rebuffed. "I don't need the rogues to do my dirty work, thank you very much."

"You sure?"

"Yes." Kara paced furiously across the room, muscles wire-tight with tension.

"Alright." I watched her carefully. "Maybe you should tell him you're already in a relationship," I suggested delicately.

"I don't see how that's any of his business," she snapped.

"Kara," I began.

"I can't deal with this right now." She turned, changing into her costume in a blur of motion as she flicked open the window's latch.

I reached out, grabbing her arm. "Kara, wait--"

She whirled, dislodging my grip. "Don't, Barb, just--" She took a breath. "I'm not sure how in control I am at the moment."

I backed off at the sight of her glowing red eyes. I had seen the force of her fury before, and under no circumstances did I want that directed at me.

"Alright," I whispered as she darted out of sight. "I love you."

She didn't answer.

---

"Wonderful," the woman purred, watching the blonde's angry flight through her rippling scrying pool. With a toss of her long purple hair, she reached for a bottle filled with bubbling black liquid.

"By the power of Hades," she intoned, pouring the substance into the pool of water, "may Lethe's enchantment take hold."

There was a flash of light, and Supergirl slowed, shaking her head in confusion. Then, she changed course, shooting off again as the image faded.

"Soon," the woman chuckled darkly, eyes glittering. "Soon I will be the most powerful sorceress on this side of the Styx!"

---

"Kara?" I called, unlocking the door and kicking my shoes off as I dropped my bag onto a hook in the hallway. "You here?"

There wasn't an answer, and I frowned anxiously. She had disappeared over forty-eight hours ago, with no word since. After a quick check of the rooms, I pulled out my cell phone and hit speed dial one. The call went straight to voicemail.

"Hey, Kara, haven't seen you in a while, hope you're okay. Um, call back when you get this message, alright?" I hesitated. "Love you."

I sighed and flipped the phone shut. Where could she be?

---

I yawned, then took a sip from the steaming cup I was holding. I had finally given up on sleep a few hours ago, and my wanderings had taken me first to the Sundoller Coffee on the corner for a caffeine fix, then to the college campus. Kara's Psychology class ended in a few minutes, and I was waiting on a nearby bench with a clear view of the door, tapping my foot impatiently.

Finally, a flood of chattering students burst out, and I craned my neck, looking for a familiar face. If she's not here, I'm gonna call the Justice League…

Then, I caught sight of her at the back of the crowd and heaved a sigh of relief. I hadn't even realized how worried I had been, but now I could see she hadn't been kidnapped or killed. She'd probably just been on some mission, and lost her phone or something.

"Hey, Kara!" I called.

She glanced up, and her face went carefully blank. "Hi."

"Just, um, wanted to stop by," I fumbled, taken aback at the less than warm welcome. "So… see you later?" It came out as a question.

"Later," she agreed blandly, melting into the pre-class mob.

I stood there, blinking uncertainly. What am I missing?

---

After yet another Kara-less night, I showed up on the grounds again, both cranky from lack of sleep and pissed at my blonde roommate for not calling. This time, I caught her coming out of Journalism.

"Kara!" I stormed over as she was rearranging the pile of books in her arms. She looked up, startled. "I get that you have responsibilities, but if you're going to disappear for nights on end, you could at least call!"

"What?"

"I spent the last two nights almost completely devoid of sleep, because I was up worrying about your sorry hide!"

"Right…" she pronounced slowly, an unreadable look in her eyes. "Maybe we could settle this later? I have to get to class."

"Don't try to pull that on me!" I said furiously. "You have one class today, and it ended two minutes ago. So no, you aren't getting out of this conversation!"

The look turned to one of angry surprise. "How do you--"

"Hey, K-girl!" A tall, dark-haired student wearing a basketball jersey waved as he ran up, smoothly cutting between us.

"Hi, Max," Kara said neutrally. I glared fiercely.

"So, I happened to score a couple of tickets to the game on Saturday…" he trailed off invitingly.

"Excuse me, but this is a private conversation," I informed him frostily.

"Actually, this conversation is over," Kara contradicted, taking Max's arm and pulling him away. "So tell me more about this game…"

My jaw dropped, and, frozen in shock, I watched them turn the corner. Kara was smiling-- smiling at Max fucking Devreaux, when all I got was flimsy excuses.

Swearing, I slammed my open palm into the wall of the building, feeling its satisfying sting as I tried not to think about other, less physical, but no less painful, wounds.

---

I sighed, pulling my knees up to my chest as I waited, once again, for Kara. This was the third day in a row I had intercepted her on campus, and I was starting to feel uncomfortably like a stalker. At least it was an afternoon class, so I had gotten my required eight hours last night.

I scanned the passing crowd, catching Kara's gaze. Her blue eyes narrowed, and she turned to the blonde walking next to her.

"I'll see you in class, Emma." The other woman made a sound of acknowledgement and continued down the hallway as my quarry strode over, an angry glint in her eyes.

"What is your problem?" she demanded, crossing her arms aggressively. "You've tracked me down three times in three days, you've apparently memorized my schedule-- what do you want from me?"

"A straight answer," I retorted, standing to match her pose. "Are you moving out?"

"Moving out?" She questioned, confused.

"You haven't been back…" I couldn't bring myself to call it home, "to the apartment for almost a week. Are you moving out or not?"

"The apartment?" Kara's brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"The apartment," I repeated. "You know, the one we've been sharing for, oh, I dunno, months?"

"Are you serious?" Kara cried. "I don't even know your name! Why in the world would I be sharing an apartment with you?"

That threw me for a loop. "My name is Barb." I searched her face carefully, finding no hint of recognition. "Remember?" I asked uneasily.

"No I don't! I never even saw you before three days ago!"

"You really don't remember, do you?" I whispered.

"Remember what!" Kara challenged.

"Me. Us." I sighed, shoulders slumping, all the fight going out of me. "Your Business class starts in a few minutes, right? Meet me at the Sundoller a couple blocks east when you're done." I hurried away before she could object.

This was bad. Really bad.

---

"Explain." Kara sat down across from me at the small table outside the coffee shop. Wordlessly, I pushed a tall iced tea towards her, taking a deep breath and wrapping my hands around my warm paper cup.

"We met a couple years ago at the Iceberg," I began, "when you were looking for Ivy, Harley, and Livewire."

Kara jerked. "You know about--"

I nodded. "I figured it out eventually. We were hanging out so much, I had to see it, you know?" I continued talking, laying out the bare bones of our history together, Kara listening without interruption.

Finally, we had caught up to the present, and I took the opportunity to drink some of my hot chocolate.

"Clarify something for me?" Kara said slowly. I nodded, taking another sip. "The way you talked, it kind of seemed like…"

I dropped my eyes to the fascinating patterns on the tabletop.

"…like we were… involved."

I nodded again, still staring downward. I had skimmed over that piece of the story, partly to avoid scaring Kara off, but mostly because it was too painful to talk about what we couldn't have anymore.

"Oh." Silence. "Thanks for the tea."

My head shot up at the sound of chair scraping against concrete. She was leaving?

"Wait." I scrambled to find a pen, scrawling my cell number on a spare napkin and offering it to her. "Here. Since I won't be dropping by the campus anymore."

I heaved a silent sigh of relief as Kara accepted the scrap of paper and walked off. For a second, I thought she would refuse it and disappear out of my life forever.

Then again, I reflected morosely, she still could. Savagely, I crumpled up the now-empty cup, tossing it into the nearby bin, and thumped my forehead onto the table. I didn't even want to imagine that possibility, but I was-- and it didn't look good.

---

"Hey, Kara," I mumbled sleepily. "I had the craziest dream. You'll never guess what it was…" I sat up, feeling nothing but emptiness beside me. "…About," I finished, grimacing. "Not a dream."

Sighing, I got up, padding into the bathroom and splashing water onto my face. No matter how many times it was shot down, a part of me insisted that every breath of wind or flash of blonde over blue was Kara, filling me with hope that extinguished as quickly as it kindled.

"Dammit," I muttered, staring into the mirror. "What the hell is wrong with me?" Normal people didn't get this obsessed, did they?

With another sigh, I headed for the kitchen-- no use trying to sleep now. The clock said it was seven in the morning, which, for most people, was like waking up at four, but my dreams had me wound up to the point where it would be impossible to drift off. Coffee would help me stay on my feet when my exhaustion caught up to me a few hours later.

I settled down at the table with a steaming mug of black coffee and an old book-- one of my comfort novels with a light plot and a happy ending, which could take my mind off my troubles. Knowing the mood I was in, something dark would probably send me into a spiral of depression.

Then, I remembered the main character of the story had blonde hair, blue eyes, and the name Karen; attributes that were all too similar to those of the person I wasn't supposed to be thinking about.

I shelved the book, took a sip of coffee, and whirled as the slight motion at the window resolved into an American flag, fluttering in the wind.

The drink went sour on my tongue, and I shoved the mug away in disgust. When did my life get so screwed up?

---

Kara yawned, hitting the button that activated the automatic door to her quarters on the Watchtower. She had spent the past week crashing at her room at Titan's Tower, but after a while, she had started getting funny looks, and the blonde decided to move on to greener pastures. It was a little embarrassing to keep shuttling between heroes' headquarters, but she was apartment hunting at the moment (was she really? a little voice niggled) and she needed a place to stay in the meantime.

"Home sweet home," she muttered, dropping her bag on her desk. As she unpacked, a sheet of paper fluttered off the bulletin board and slid under the ultramodern furniture. It went unnoticed, Kara busy trying to remember where she had gotten a slim, black cell phone from. Guess I'll turn that into the Lost and Found later.

Kal found her frowning over her compact dresser. "Kara?"

She looked up. "I've just realized I have a serious lack of clothes. I need to go shopping."

"Why don't you ask someone to go with you?" he suggested. "Maybe Kid Flash. Make it a date."

"Kal," Kara sighed, exasperated. "I don't need you to line up guys for me. I can find my own dates, thank you very much."

"Did you and Barb break up?" he asked.

"What?" There probably wasn't anything else he could have said that would have stunned her more.

"Because you didn't tell me that you were already in a relationship like you usually do, and I heard you moved into Titan's Tower a while ago--"

"Where's J'onn?" she asked abruptly.

Kal looked nonplussed at her interruption. "Last I saw he was in the kitchens. Why?"

Kara had already found the tall green alien, sitting at a cafeteria table and enjoying a plate of Choco cookies and milk.

"J'onn?" she asked. "Would you be able to tell if there was something wrong with my memory?"

He looked up. "I believe so. Why?"

"Do you remember Barb? She was up here a couple months ago, right?"

"Yes. I did not speak to her, but I know of her."

"I don't." Kara sat down.

"I see," J'onn said solemnly. "Very well. I'll see what I can do." He looked down. "After I finish these."

Kara cracked a smile.

---

Sunday morning, I was startled awake by the shrill ring of my cell phone. As I fumbled and squinted at the digital display, I saw that it was nine in the morning-- as in too damn early-- and the number was unknown. That was a little unusual, but mostly it meant I couldn't threaten the caller with a gruesome death in case it was someone easily offended.

"H'lo?" I garbled, flipping the phone open.

"Barb? It's Kara."

I instantly found myself wide awake. "Hi." Surreptitiously, I dug a nail into my flesh to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It hurt, so I wasn't. Probably.

"Listen, we need to talk."

"Alright," I said, levering myself out of bed. "My place? Your place? The swamps of Louisiana?"

"Is your place okay?" Kara sounded slightly uncertain.

"Sure. Um, the address is 1597 Oakstaff, apartment 314." It felt a little strange giving Kara my address when she already knew it-- at least, she knew it before the mysterious memory blank.

"I'll be there in five minutes."

"Fine with me," I agreed, hanging up and running a hand through my hair. That was presentable enough; Kara had seen me worse. Then I reconsidered: this mind wipe stuff played havoc on first impressions.

It took four of the allotted five minutes to exchange my wrinkled tank top and shorts for a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, untangle my hair, and brush my teeth. The rest of the time was spent putting a kettle of water to boil and shoving miscellaneous items out of sight.

Finally, there was a clatter at the window, and I watched, heart pounding, as Kara crossed the threshold.

"Hi," she said, a slight waver betraying her nervousness.

"Hi," I said back. "Um, tea?" The kettle shrieked, right on cue.

Once we had settled on the couch with our ceramic mugs, Kara started the conversation. "So, I talked to J'onn, and he knows who you are, but he can't find a trace of you in my memories."

"Does that mean you'll never get them back?" I asked, worried.

She shrugged dismally. "I don't know." She sighed. "Anyway, it seems kind of unfair to just walk away from our… relationship, but…" she hesitated. "It can't just go back to the way it was before. So, friends?"

"That's all I could ask," I said, relieved. "Wanna hang out? You're already here, and I'm already awake. Completely platonic," I assured at the uncertain look on her face.

"Well," Kara said slowly, "I haven't seen that new robot movie yet."

"Actually, you have," I said absently, "but it was pretty awesome, so I wouldn't mind watching it again." I stood and gestured to the door. "Shall we?"

Kara smiled. "Why not?"

---

I glanced sideways at Kara's face in the dark of the theater, bathed in the flickering glow of the projector. I had thought she was watching the movie, but as her eyes slid toward mine, I flushed and hastily returned my attention to the screen, wincing as a motorcycle blew apart.

Internally, I chastised myself for being so obvious. Kara had made it clear she wasn't looking for a girlfriend, and acting like I was head over heels for her-- even though I was-- wouldn't do me any favors. I reached one hand into the popcorn bucket, breath hitching as it brushed against Kara's, and jerked back, waiting until she retreated before claiming my own piece.

God, I'm an idiot, I thought, slouching in the cushioned chair. Is being near Kara worth not being with her? Then, I caught another glimpse of her sparkling blue eyes, and made my decision. Yeah, it is. Just friends, huh? There was another boom onscreen, and I sighed. I can do that.

---

My cell phone vibrated in my pocket as I unlocked the apartment door, two bags of groceries slung on one arm. I yelped in surprise and dropped the bags in the foyer, wincing at the clatter and feeling thankful I hadn't gotten any eggs. Quickly, I dug the device out of my jeans before it could ring again, checked the caller ID, and flipped it open.

"Hi, Jim." I shut the door with a light kick.

"Barb, have you heard about Victor Fries?"

"What about him?" I racked my brain for any recent news the police would have gotten involved in. Mr. Freeze was normally pretty low key, unless his wife was involved. I couldn't see why he'd get into trouble when she was making a full recovery in one of Gotham's finest hospitals.

"He proposed a snow day on Friday two weeks from now."

"Oh, yeah." I levered out of my shoes and hefted the bags, bringing them to the kitchen counter. "I forgot about that." I reached over, snagging a pen and marking the day on my wall calendar.

"Is it legit?"

"What?" I asked distractedly.

"Are we going to have to worry about a sudden flash freeze across Gotham if we let him go ahead with it?"

"Oh. No, it'll be just snow."

"Barb, are you alright?" Jim asked.

"Why do you ask?" I returned, pulling out a carton of orange juice.

"You sound… preoccupied."

I sighed. "It's just… I'm having some relationship troubles."

"Oh." Jim sounded thoroughly uncomfortable. "Would you… ah… like to talk about it?"

I laughed. "No, I think I'll let you off the hook this time."

---

"Hey, Barb!" Harley chirped as she bounded up to the bar. "Seen Kara? She hasn't been by in a while."

"Yeah, she's been…" A million excuses ran through my mind. "Busy," I decided as I handed Harley her drink.

"Did you break up?" Ivy joined her fellow rogue, lounging against the countertop. "Pity. She wasn't a complete loss."

"No, we…" I floundered for something to say. How could I answer that when I didn't even know what we were? "She's been busy," I repeated lamely.

"Hm." Thankfully, they lost interest, moving on to the latest gossip about Hugo Strange and Roxy Rocket.

I tuned them out, polishing glasses as I contemplated bringing Kara to the Iceberg. She'd had a lot of fun before…. Then I thought better of it and scrapped the idea. That had been the old Kara; who knew how this one would react?

---

"Hey," I said, surprised, as I rounded a bookshelf at the University library and saw Kara sitting at a table surrounded by notes. "Didn't think I'd find you here."

"Why not? This is my school," she replied distractedly.

"I thought you'd be at lunch."

"Normally, I would be," Kara flipped another few pages, "but I have a test next block and I'm completely blanking on everything. What are you doing here?"

"Checking out one of the old computer sciences textbooks." I set the battered tome down and squinted to read Kara's notes upside-down. "Oh, that explains it."

"Hm?"

"This is the class I helped you study for."

"Oh." Kara sighed. "I wondered."

Without even thinking about it, I sat down and started explaining the concepts. It took me a couple of chapters to realize Kara was listening with a funny little smile on her face. I stopped.

"Sorry. Too familiar?"

"It's fine," she assured me. "Go on. It's amazing how you break it down so easily."

"Practice," I answered. "And I would, but lunch ends in a few minutes."

Kara's eyes flew to the clock mounted on the wall. "Oh. Thanks, then." We both stood, Kara shuffling her papers together.

"So," I casually leaned against the table. "Are you free Friday night?"

Kara tilted her head to the side, eyes narrowed in thought as she slid the books into her bag. "Yeah, I think so. Unless an emergency comes up."

"Wanna do something? Say, around six?"

She smiled. "Sounds nice."

"Cool. Meet you at the Sundoller, then." I got up and started pacing away, matching her smile with a grin of my own. "And make sure to dress warm."

"Why?" she asked.

My grin widened. "You'll just have to find out."

---

"So, what is it?" was the first thing Kara asked as I jogged up to the table she was sitting at. True to my instructions, she was wearing a woolen sweater, with a thick coat draped over an empty seat.

"What's what?"

She shot me an exasperated look. I grinned, dragging her out of the chair and across the street into the nearby park.

"A walk in the park? Barb, that's not exactly the most--"

In response, I pointed straight up at the flakes of white gently drifting downward.

"Snow?" Kara blinked at the cloudy skies. "In April?"

"It's Mr. Freeze," I explained. "He met a kid from San Diego who moved up here a couple of months ago, but she was sick, so she wasn't allowed to play outside until the snow melted. He arranged this for her-- even cleared it with the police and everything."

"He did this just for one kid?"

"Everyone deserves a chance to play in the snow," I shrugged.

Kara glanced around. "Snow isn't exactly a good memory for me," she said quietly. "Because of--"

"Argo," I finished, looking down. Of course, her better memories of winter had disappeared. "I guess it's not the best for me, either." I flashed back to a dark night, Kara laying lifeless in the grass, and shook my head. She's here; she's fine. "So, do you want to call it a day? Or we could do dinner, or something."

Kara stared at her surroundings for a moment. "I'll take a rain check on dinner," she decided, flopping backwards into a fluffy drift and waving her arms and legs. "Let's make new memories."

While she was occupied by her snow angel, I crouched down and started packing together large lumps to create a basic form. It was right after I had given a smile to the snowman when a ball of slush exploded against the back of my head.

"Hey!" I whirled to see a grinning Kara, head poking out from behind a rough fort, surrounded by piles of ammunition. Ammunition that would soon be flying at me.

With a yelp, I dove behind a tree that was immediately covered in splattered snowballs.

"That's how you wanna play it?" I muttered, gathering my own pile. I didn't even try to be sneaky-- what was the point when your target had super-senses?-- going with a headlong charge angled toward Kara's unprotected side instead. To my credit, I surprised her long enough to lob a few shots before I was almost completely buried in her retaliatory hail of snow.

"Okay, okay, I give!" I laughed. "Truce!"

Smirking, Kara helped unearth me from the freshly-formed snowdrift. I stood, grimacing as I tugged at the soaking wet clothes that were sticking in embarrassing places. Kara didn't look much better, she had an uncomfortable look on her face as she brushed the snow out of her hair.

"Why don't we stop by the apartment for a change of clothes?" I offered. "I could definitely use one."

"Seconded," Kara agreed.

The short walk was made miserable by the chill wind in combination with wet clothes, and I was shivering by the time we got to my floor.

"So, you want to shower first?" I asked through chattering teeth as we tracked melted snow into the foyer. I almost couldn't bear the thought of waiting to feel the warm spray on my frozen skin, but it would be more than a little awkward to offer to share.

"You go," Kara insisted, "you look like you need it. Besides, I've got my own heat source." To prove it, she used a low-level blast of heat vision to evaporate a stray puddle of water.

I sighed in relief. "Okay, so just make yourself at home, raid the kitchen, whatever. I'll be out in a few minutes." I started for the bathroom, then paused. "Oh, and your clothes are to the left of the closet and the dresser."

Kara blinked. "So that's where they all are," she murmured to herself.

When I came out, newly thawed and ready to face the world again, she had changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and was peering intently into one of the drawers built into the bedside table.

"Discovering the secrets of the universe?" I asked, moving to the closet.

"What's this?" She held up a crimson-tinted light bulb.

"Red sun lamp." I dug around to find my favorite sweater and pulled it over my head, flipping my still-damp hair out of the collar. "Sans lamp."

"Why?"

If there was a trickier question she could have asked, I didn't know what it was.

"Uh, yeah…" I stalled. "About that…"

This would be fun to explain.

---

After the awkwardness yesterday, I wasn't sure if Kara would still want to go out for dinner. Thankfully, she solved that problem by calling me.

"Hey, Barb."

"Oh, hey!" I clamped the phone between my ear and my shoulder as I opened the pantry and grabbed a breakfast bar. "What's up?"

"You free for dinner tonight?"

I winced. "Actually, I have work. Can we go for lunch?"

"Now?" Kara asked. She sounded a little surprised.

"Sure." I levered myself up to sit on the kitchen counter. "Unless you already have plans."

"Now's fine. There's a nice place on Seventh…"

"Merlotte's? Yeah, I know it." I glanced at the clock. "I can be there in ten minutes."

"Cool. See you then."

"Bye." I hung up with a grin, tossing my breakfast bar back into the cabinet. A lunch date with Kara in the city beat eating alone in my apartment any day.

By the time I made it in, Kara already had a table.

"Hey," I said, grabbing a menu and sliding into the booth.

"Hey," Kara answered.

There was a moment of companionable silence as we skimmed through the choices.

"So I've been meaning to ask," Kara began, setting her menu aside. "What do you do for a living? You have a night job, right?"

"Right," I confirmed, reclining back against the cushioned synthetic leather seats. "I bartend."

"Really?" That startled her. "I would have thought you were a computer programmer or something. I mean, that time at the library…"

"I graduated Gotham U with a degree in Computer Sciences," I explained.

Kara blinked. "And you're a bartender… why?" she asked.

Before I could answer, we were interrupted by the appearance of the waitress, who took our orders with a cheerful smile and bustled off to get our drinks.

"So?" Kara leaned forward eagerly.

I shrugged. "Not much to tell. It's fun, I guess. The computer stuff is just a hobby."

Kara smirked. "A very well-paying hobby that you got a degree for, then ignored in favor of mixing drinks."

"It's not like I have a pressing need for cash," I objected. "I get hazard pay. And tips."

I managed to startled Kara for the second time in ten minutes. "Hazard pay?"

I took a sip of the soda that was placed in front of me, smiling at the waitress in thanks. "Don't all bartenders?" I joked. "All that lethal glass, hanging above your head…"

"Why?" Kara asked seriously. "What are you doing that's so dangerous?"

"It's not illegal or anything," I protested.

"What. Is. It."

"Have you been taking intimidation lessons from Batman?" I asked nervously, in an attempt to cool her down. "'Cause it's working. Especially when your eyes glow like that."

Kara's eyes went wide, the red dissipating and returning to her normal blue. She looked away. "Sorry."

"No problem," I sighed in relief.

"You're still not off the hook. What are you doing?"

"Nothing!" I cried. She admonished me with a look. "Really. It's just… well… I work at the Iceberg, so the clientele is a little… eccentric."

"The Iceberg!" Kara stood, knocking over her glass and catching it a shade too fast. "What are you--"

She stopped talking abruptly, and I turned to see the waitress, back with our food.

"Is everything alright?" she asked worriedly.

"Fine," I assured her.

"Yeah, fine," Kara echoed, sitting down.

"Okay, well, here's your club sandwich and your waffles. Call if you need anything else."

"Sure."

Kara waited until she was out of earshot before rounding on me, hissing, "Are you insane? Why are you working at the Iceberg, of all places?"

"It's more sane than it sounds," I said calmly, though I was starting to get a little angry. Didn't she yell at Superman for judging me just months ago? Oh, right, old Kara. "They know me, they like me, they won't kill me. We're friends. And they were your friends, too, once upon a time."

For the third time, Kara was struck speechless. "My… friends? We're talking about the same people, right?"

"Yes, you were friends with the infamous Gotham Rogues." I cut a small chunk off my waffles, stabbed it fiercely, and took a bite. Then, I reached over and drizzled strawberry syrup into the squares.

"Were…" Kara repeated, sighing. She looked a little depressed.

I set my fork down. "Well, maybe not so much 'were friends,' it's more like 'are friends, only you don't know them so that makes it a little awkward.' They've been missing you, you haven't been in for months."

She smiled softly. "Maybe I should try harder to get my memories back. Everything you've told me sounds… wonderful."

"It is," I agreed, taking another bite of food. Swallowing, I changed the subject. "Anyway, I was thinking, when we're done here, we could go down to the Plaza and--"

I stopped. Kara didn't look like she was paying much attention. She was staring at me, an odd look in her eyes.

"So then I said I'd sleep with him as long as I got to keep half the Martian babies," I deadpanned.

Kara blinked. "What?"

"You okay? You look a little distracted."

She remained quiet.

"Kara?"

"Hm? Oh." Her eyes flicked up to meet mine. "Just… thinking. Um, there's a bit of strawberry…" she gestured at the corner of her mouth. "Here, let me." Before I could react, she leaned over and gently wiped it off.

"Thanks," I smiled.

She blushed and avoided my eye, tracing the scars on the tabletop. "No problem."

---

"Don't go!" With a gasp, Kara's eyes shot open, and she sat up, reaching blindly for… she couldn't remember. (Happening a lot lately, isn't it?) It took her a moment to realize she was looking at her dimly lit room on the Watchtower.

After a moment of hesitation, she got up and stretched, feeling a flash of irritation when she accidentally sent the cell phone she had been meaning but kept forgetting to turn in skittering under her little-used desk. Sighing, she knelt down and fished around, coming out with the runaway object and an unfamiliar sheet of paper.

"What?" Kara murmured, setting the device aside and flipping the sheet over. She blinked. It was a photograph of Barb, juggling syrup bottles with a look of intense concentration. The sudden rush of warmth for the subject of the photo took her by surprise, and it was a while before she remembered what she had been doing.

Finally, Kara changed into her costume and glided down the hallway.

Because heroing was a full-time job, the Watchtower was still fairly crowded. Despite that, Kara had no trouble finding an empty table in the cafeteria. From her vantage point in the corner, she watched the other heroes; Green Lantern was sitting with Vixen, carefully not looking at Hawkgirl, as Green Arrow flirted shamelessly with Black Canary. She ruthlessly stifled the rising wave of envy-- for what, she didn't know.

Her period of brooding solitude was interrupted by the appearance of a familiar, blue-cloaked teammate.

"Hey, Raven, back already?" Kara gestured, inviting her friend to sit down. "How was deep space?"

"Fine." The other teen chose to remain standing, but she did lower her hood, revealing violet eyes. They were filled with worry, unusual for the young sorceress. "I felt a discrepancy in your aura."

"Sorry?" Kara asked, puzzled. She much preferred science to magic, Raven's chosen field. "What happened to my aura?"

"Someone cast a spell on you. Not a friendly one. From the looks of it, it's been hanging around for at least a month."

"What?" The blonde stood in alarm. A spell? She quickly crunched the numbers. A month ago was around the time Barb first approached her. My memories. "How do I break it?"

"That's… not my area of expertise." Raven tugged her hood back up. "I would suggest you talk to one of the other magic users. I believe Etrigan has a working knowledge of curses."

"Thanks, Raven." Kara hurried away to look for the man.

Kal caught her as she was running past the monitor womb. "Kara, what's the rush?"

"Have you seen Etrigan?" she asked urgently.

"He just went Earthside," the other hero answered. "Why?"

"Dammit," she cursed, leaning tiredly against the wall.

He looked taken aback. "What's going on?"

"Apparently, someone cast a spell on me," Kara muttered.

"What? Who?" he asked, outraged.

"What do you think I'm trying to find out?" she retorted, annoyed.

"Zatanna's coming up in twenty minutes," Superman reported. "We can ask her."

---

"It's a pretty powerful spell," Zatanna diagnosed. The two were standing in one of the Tower's empty meeting rooms, Superman having been called away a few minutes before. Sighing, she dispelled her charm of Seeing. "Your friend was right. This is serious dark magic."

"Can you break it?" Kara asked.

"Not unless you want to risk a magical backlash that would take out the Watchtower and a chunk of Earth with it," the magician countered. "I don't even know what this spell does, let alone how to break it."

"I do," Kara muttered darkly. "It erased all my memories of my girlfriend."

"Alright, I'm going to see if I can divine the source of the energies," Zatanna said, drawing a circle with a few runes around it on the floor with a stick of metallic-looking chalk. "It should be easier to unravel if I have a better idea of how it was composed." She placed an elaborately carved basin of water at one end and a green candle at the other, melting the wax to make it stick but leaving it unlit. "Step into the circle, please."

Kara did as she was told, watching as the magician conjured a dish of glittering power and a small ankh, and set them at opposing points on the circle.

"Okay, you can't cross the circle or smudge the symbols until the spell is complete, otherwise we'll both have very nice headaches tomorrow. Ready?"

Kara took a deep breath and let it out. "As I'll ever be."

"I call upon the spirits of earth and air to expose this enchantment," Zatanna intoned, closing her blue eyes. Sparks of magic started dancing around her form, and her long black hair lifted in a slight breeze. "Reveal to us how it was cast. Ekovni!"

The candle flared and lit as the sparks swirled together in a mass of blue, funneling into the surface of the water, which turned pitch black.

"Was that supposed to happen?" Kara wondered.

Zatanna nodded, waving away some residual smoke with her top hat. "The candle is a binding agent," she explained. "It keeps the spell from coming undone until it goes out. The water is our scrying medium, so the images will appear in it."

Kara knelt in front of the basin, careful not to touch the metallic lines, and observed as a pale woman in black robes with long purple hair stood in front of her own scrying pool.

"That's Tala," Zatanna commented. "She works for Cadmus, I think."

"What's she looking at?" Kara asked.

Zatanna frowned, studying the picture. "Nap thgir," she muttered, and it swiveled to a different angle.

"That's me," Kara said. She wasn't sure if she should be surprised or not.

"Scrying pools are often used as focuses in higher level spells," Zatanna clarified. "If you have the power to let the spell pass through water, it's easier than getting a knot of hair or a personal trinket."

Tala, unaware of her audience, poured a sinister-looking black liquid into the pool while chanting her spell. Then, its job done, the image in their basin slowly faded as the water returned to it's regular translucency.

"Gods' magic," Zatanna murmured, frowning. She blew out the candle, then smeared her markings into nothingness.

"Can you break it?" Kara asked again.

"I'm nowhere near powerful enough," the magician sighed. "The only way to dispel gods' magic is to let it weaken naturally, which would take several millennia, or to petition the gods to remove it."

Kara swore vehemently. "Are you sure?"

Zatanna opened her mouth to reply, then reassessed her answer. "Well, considering the nature of the spell… memory potions are known for their unreliability. You might be able to break it with a strong enough familiar stimulus."

"So… that means I should go around doing the stuff I forgot doing?"

"Basically."

"Thanks."

Kara flew off for the transporters, returning Zatanna's call of "Good luck!" with a wave. There was work to be done, and Barb needed to learn about the new developments as soon as possible.

---

"Too bad this isn't a fairytale," I muttered.

Kara made a questioning noise. She had come to me with the news from the Watchtower, and now we were brainstorming ideas to break the spell.

"You know, like Snow White or Sleeping Beauty," I explained. "Prince kisses princess, and bang!" I snapped my fingers. "One cured princess."

Kara eyed me in consideration, and I flushed. "Not that I'm trying to pressure you into something--"

"No," she said slowly. "I think… I think we should try it."

I started. "Okay, could you say that again, because I think I might have hallucinated."

It was Kara's turn to blush. "I'm pretty sure you heard right," she mumbled.

"Wow," I said, amazed. "You must really want those memories back."

"Yeah. And, well…" she looked down. "It'd be nice to kiss you."

"Oh, um," I fumbled, off guard. "Thanks. You're sure? I mean, I'm not complaining, but…"

She nodded. I leaned in tentatively, hesitating just before our lips met. "You really--"

"Shut up and kiss me," she murmured, reinforcing the order by twining a hand into my hair and gently pulling me down.

I didn't know what I was expecting-- what normally happened when a curse broke? It felt just like any other kiss with Kara, except maybe a bit more uncertain. When we pulled apart, Kara didn't look like she had experienced an epiphany, either.

"So…" I prompted.

"Nothing." She shook her head, then smiled. "Good kiss, though. Can I have another one?"

"I'd give it to you," I conceded, "but I'm late for work." A spontaneous idea struck me, and I grinned. "I've got a Plan B. Change into street clothes; you're coming with me."

At the Iceberg, after Ozzy's lecture on punctuality, I led Kara to the bar and started mixing. It was still early, so business was slow, and she glanced around the room with interest.

"It's a bit friendlier than I remembered."

"I admit, they're a little biased against superheroes. Here." I pushed the highball glass across the counter. "Safe Sex on the Beach. Your usual."

Kara stared at it. "I actually drank something called… that?"

I smirked. "You drank a Quick Fuck once or twice."

She looked scandalized, and I laughed, assuring her, "Don't worry, it tastes better than it sounds."

Kara sighed. "If you say so." She took a sip and blinked in surprise. "Hey, it's good."

I elected not to say 'I told you so,' instead watching hopefully for some sign of recognition as Kara drained the glass. "Anything?"

She shrugged, brow creasing. "Not really. It's… familiar, I guess. I just got a flash of… well, I can't really describe it…"

I sighed. "Okay, Plan C."

"Which is…"

I shrugged sheepishly. "Um, mingle?"

Kara smiled. "Running out of ideas?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess we could go to Disneyland, but-- oh, hey, Selina--"

A flood of rogues poured in the door, and we were both too busy to notice when Harley appeared at the bar beside Kara.

"There you are!" she exclaimed, red and black tassels bouncing. "We haven't seen you in forever!"

"Harley," I began worriedly as the clown dragged Kara off her stool. The heroine looked bewildered, and I couldn't blame her. "Wait--"

Too late. Kara let out a yelp of surprise as Harley flipped her, hands shooting out instinctively as she swayed slightly uncertainly. Through strands of tousled blonde hair, I caught sight of her widening blue eyes. Then, she tipped over and landed flat on her back.

"Kara!" I vaulted over the counter and crouched down next to her. I knew it was stupid to freak out-- she was invulnerable, for God's sake-- but I couldn't help it. "You okay?"

Kara flashed me a smile. "Better than okay." We both stood.

"What do you--" I started.

Kara cut me off with a searing kiss.

"Wow," I managed breathlessly when we finally pulled apart. Behind us, the room was filled with wolf-whistles and cheering.

"I remember," she whispered. "Love you."

"Me too." The goofy grin on my face lasted for the rest of the evening.

---

Bellowing in rage, the shadowy figure knocked over his chessboard with a sweep of his arm, black robe flaring. The elegantly tooled marble bounced and skidded, the pieces stubbornly sticking to their squares. He cursed.

"Now, now, Hades," a white-clad figure purred, tossing curls of blonde hair over her shoulder as she stepped out of the poorly-lit doorway. "Mustn't throw a tantrum."

"Aphrodite," he growled, standing to tower over the goddess. "This is your doing!"

She smiled smugly, unflinching in the face of his fury. "You should've known better than to mess with these two, Hades. Their love is more than strong enough to overcome a pathetic curse like that."

"Only because they're blessed," he hissed angrily.

"Of course they are," Aphrodite said serenely. "After all, they will do great things in the future.

"Very great things."

---

Playlist

"All the Things She Said" by T.A.T.U.

"Everything" by Lifehouse

"Everywhere" by Michelle Branch

"For Reasons Unknown" by The Killers

"Get Up" by Quietdrive

"My List" by The Killers

"On My Way Home" by Enya

"Remember" by Emilie Autumn

"River of Dreams" by Billy Joel

"Seven" by Vagiant

"Starbright" by Quietdrive

"Taking Over Me" by Evanescence

---

Notes:

Sundoller Coffee was the name of the café in Wonder Girl's (Cassie's) Teen Titans Spotlight.

Max Devreaux and Emma are from Marvel's Emma Frost comic. I needed the characters, so I borrowed them. They'll probably be showing up again later.

Lethe is the Greek river of forgetfulness.

Choco cookies are apparently the DCU's Oreos.

1597 Oakstaff is Rachel Morgan and Ivy Tamwoods' address.

The robot movie is intended to be Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, and the motorcycle is Arcee.

The red sun lamp scene was suggested by Kalacyn. If you're confused, check out the epilogue of Survival.

"Merlotte's" is the name of the restaurant/bar in True Blood (and also the Southern Vampire Mysteries).

Out of the League's three magic users (Dr. Fate, Etrigan, Zatanna) I picked Zatanna because I thought it would be a little ironic to have her breaking memory spells, after that big scandal in the comics.

Elements of Zatanna's spell (the magnetic chalk, the lighting candle) are from the Rachel Morgan books. The incantation was edited from the locator spell in "This Little Piggy" and I'm sure you can figure out her backwards ones.

Also, check out the outtakes for this installment on my homepage, or starscrossing (.) webs (.) com.