Sparks Fly [Book Two in the "Fire And Lighting" Series]

Chapter Twelve- Unreachable

February 20, 2016. 15:36
S.T.A.R. Labs.
~~Willow~~

Once again, I found myself studying the specs Sardath had given us. The alien science behind it all was just so fascinating, and I wanted to know it all!

"Are you looking at that again, Willow?" I quickly turned off the screen at the teasing voice of my science mentor, Adam Strange. Occasionally, he did live up to his name.

"I like looking at them," I mumbled as I blushed. I quickly combed my hair with my fingers to hide my red cheeks.

"How'd it go with Doctor Dorado, setting up that new zeta-tube in Jump City?"

"Good. I also learned a few tips for fixing up the tubes on my own."

"Oliver complaining again?"

"The tubes are acting up, according to him. They either shave off a hair on his goatee, throwing off the whole look, or trim a millimeter off his shirt hem."

Adam laughed, before staring longingly at the zeta tubes on the other side of the room.

"Something wrong, Doctor?" I asked quietly.

"Nothing, nothing," he waved it off.

I wanted to ask more, but it's not in my nature to pry. But as it turns out, I didn't have to.

"You're going out with Superboy, Connor, right?" He asked carefully.

I was halfway sure that I knew where he was going, "Yes, sir."

He thought a moment more, "What about Miss Martian? Do the two of them have a history?"

It almost felt like Icicle Junior had frozen my heart again. I was tired of people questioning Connor's loyalty to me. He gave me his word, and M'gann had vowed that anything between her and Connor was gone. That ship had sunk.

"They did, but it's over."

I was saved from any more awkward questions when my phone buzzed with a text from Emma.

"Can we talk?"

It was the end of the work day, and for once I wanted to get away from the awkwardness as fast as possible.

"I'll see you tomorrow doctor," I called over my shoulder.

"Willow, wait!"

My hand was on the doorknob, and I was tempted to leave right then and there, but I stopped.

"Yes?"

"If I went too far, I'm sorry. It's just...I've worked with you for a very long time, and I don't want you to get hurt."

I'd been hearing that for a while now. For a year after my memory came back, Dinah gave me therapy twice a week. She or Oliver always seemed to be at the cave around the clock. When Emma wasn't with Kaldur, she was at my side. Once or twice I swore I saw Roy following me from the rooftops. Connor and Megan always had to make sure I was with Holly or another friend when we were at school. And Artemis and Wally always seemed to be in the same room that I was in. It was like they were afraid that I would turn into Pyro again if I was left alone for more than two seconds.

It was nice to know that they cared, but sometimes it felt like I was in another cell at Cadmus. Just another specimen to observe.

"It's okay, Doc, you're not the only one."

-------

Mara, instead of Alfred, opened the door to Wayne Mansion for

me.

"You know you can just come in any time you want, you're Emma's best friend, you don't have to-"

"Where is Emma?" I interrupted.

Mara pointed over her shoulder and up the stairs. "She came home a while ago, and we all could tell she was upset. Alfred is trying to offer her some mint chocolate chip ice cream as we speak."

"Thank you," I said as I dashed past her. I was halfway up the stairs when Mara's voice stopped me again.

"It's about him, isn't it?" She called, "Why she's always upset. It's been over a month, but..." She trailed off.

Dang the girl was smart, even at eleven!

I nodded slowly, "Just be there for her, alright? I can't always be there for her, and she needs someone. Will you?"

Mara nodded proudly. Satisfied, I took the stairs two at a time and made my way to her bedroom.

Alfred nodded as I approached the door.

"She left it unlocked, but I do not wish to intrude. As you are her best friend, I believe-" I opened the door and closed it behind me before he finished his sentence.

Yeah, yeah I'm her best friend, have been for five years. Is that the only thing I'm known for around here?

Emma was sitting at the window seat, studying Alfred's garden from a distance. Instead of blasting Taylor Swift this time, she had soft, classical music playing. Much more to my taste

"Hey," I said softly, sinking into the cushions next to her.

She didn't look at me, but she nodded in acknowledgement of my arrival.

We sat there for a while, looking out the window as two robins and then a group of finches flew through the trees.

"I got fired today." She said at last.

"What!?" I yelled angrily. I don't know if you've noticed, but I get very defensive when my best friend is involved.

She picked up her computer and showed me the screen. Her article, her precious work of art that she had been working on for months, was rejected. I knew how important this was to her, and my heart fell for her as I read her editor's crude comments about how no one wanted to hear about the Justice League and to stay in her genre. Emma replied, telling him to print it or she would quit. He wouldn't let her, firing her instead.

"Does that guy even know anything about journalism?" I asked. She smiled weakly, but there was something hiding in her eyes.

"That's not all, was it?" I resumed my seat next to her.

She said nothing, staring out the window for another minute or two.

"Has there ever been something that you desperately wanted, but you knew that whatever you did, there was no way that you could get it at all?" She looked into my eyes as she asked the question.

I thought for a moment, then nodded. "When I first met Connor, well, you knew I had a crush on him."

She snorted, "We all did, except for Connor himself."

My smile faded, "Do you think M'gann knew?" I gasped.

Emma threw her head back and laughed. "Probably. Maybe. I don't know. That girl has telepathy, Will."

I laughed too. If M'gann had known, she sure hadn't done anything about it before, and she certainly wasn't objecting to me and Connor being together now.

"When you still thought that he was totally unreachable, when he and M'gann were still together, what did you do?"

I stopped to think, knowing exactly where this was going. "Well, I moved on, I guess. I stayed friends with Connor, I was nice to Megan, just focused on other things. But Emma, are you saying that-"

"Yeah," she whispered. "I'm over Kaldur."

I looked at her for a moment, letting that process.

"Well, we should celebrate this!" I stood up and brushed off my pants. "This is a new stage of your life, a Young Single Adult." Trust me, I knew what that was like.

She smiled, as if she knew this was coming, "Frozen Yogurt?"

"Frozen Yogurt." I agreed, grabbing her hand. "And then we're going jogging. Not to be rude, but I'll just say you've been eating too much chocolate lately.