Lexa had obviously been waiting anxiously for our return. Seb came through the door first and for once Lex didn't hesitate, throwing herself onto him for a fierce hug. He looked taken aback but soon enough wrapped his arms around her while she spilled obscenities in the name of Morgan, especially after seeing the angry dark patch growing around his eye.

"She knows about us," I informed him in the middle of her stream of rage consciousness.

He took it in his stride. "This has been an above-average day on the crazy scales. Sorry, Lexa."

"All my rage is committed to this Villain creep, so you're safe," she half-laughed, finally releasing him.

When she turned her sights on me, I threw my hands up in self-defence. "As much as I love you, please don't squeeze me. I'm a little tender."

"Kenna got KO'd by some poison Villain breath and dragged god knows how far across the city before being dumped unconscious in the basement of the museum," Seb explained. "Though, not before she raised some hell in the Lair. It's going to take them awhile to clean that place up." He said the last part with no small satisfaction.

"Oh, is that all? I'm so proud," Lexa sniffled, wrapping her arms carefully around me in a feather-light embrace. I let myself sink into her, despite the fact that she was a head shorter than me. "My poor Super girl," she patted me on the back sympathetically.

"I couldn't stop them from doing their Evil things though," I grumbled into her shoulder.

"Getting Seb was all that really matters," Lexa assured.

"Awe, Lexa." I could tell Seb was grinning from the sound of his voice.

I decided to make myself scarce. "Well kids, it's awfully late and I'm knackered, even though I just woke up from a poisoned sleep. I'm going to head to bed. Seb, stay safe between here and your room, okay? Lex, if you want to stay over, just come in whenever you're ready." Lexa and I had continued our teenaged tradition of sleepovers well into our adulthood, so she knew the drill.

Despite my fatigue and the tumult of emotions running through me from the peaks and valleys of the night, I felt a wicked little grin creep onto my face as I abandoned them together without me as their lifeline.

I was too exhausted to deal with the tempest in my brain tonight. Shuffling into my room, I barely managed to brush my teeth and pull on an old shirt before I was crawling thankfully into bed. If I was going to fight Villains regularly I'd need more practice to keep my mind from getting so tapped out. Before I could drift off, I thought to check my phone, which I'd totally forgotten about in all the earlier action. I had a message from Ewan waiting for me.

Hey, did you track down Seb okay? Hope everything's alright.

Thinking it was sweet of him to check in and feeling a little guilty for inadvertently making him wait so long, I typed back a quick response.

Yeah, all okay now. His phone died and he lost track of time. Thanks for checking in. It was hard to lie to him, but I couldn't see how I could do anything else at this point. He messaged me back right away with a link to a funny cat video, which gave me the gift of falling asleep laughing.

I awoke to the weight of someone snuggled up next to me. After a flash of confusion, I realised it was only Lexa, who must have slipped in sometime after I'd fallen asleep. Fumbling for my phone to check the time, I found that it was the advanced hour of 10 am.

Nudging her, I whispered, "Lexa, don't you have to go to work?"

"It's a long weekend," she grumbled back. "No work, only sleep."

As an author, I often lost track of normal working hours and holidays, so I wasn't surprised that I'd forgotten this one. At any rate, now that I was awake, I was feeling fully refreshed and considered that an unacceptable answer.

I started to bounce up and down, which made her body wobble back and forth next to me. "No more sleep, let's go get breakfast somewhere."

She opened one wrathful eye to stare daggers at me, and didn't move.

"I need your sage advice," I persisted. This was true; I'd found myself stood at the edge of a precipice in my life, and I needed someone who wasn't already at the bottom to help me decide whether or not to jump off.

A loud groan. "Fiiiine. But I need to shower first and also borrow some clothes."

"Deal. Hopefully I've got anything up to snuff for you," I grinned.

"You are perfectly fashionable," she said with considerable dignity.

*

"So," I started once we were cleaned up and headed for our brunch place of choice, "did the unthinkable finally happen last night, or what?"

"I thought you needed my advice!" She protested darkly.

"Well yes, I do, but it can wait a moment. This is a question that's been brewing for years so it takes precedence," I answered smugly.

"Ugh. Okay, well, no, not exactly. Don't look at me like that, I just couldn't blurt it all out, especially after the night you'd both had! It's been too long of bottling it all up for me to just spill the beans. I think it'll take a miracle," she mused glumly, "but we did talk for quite awhile and I managed to tell him how worried I'd been about him. Maybe he suspected something then, I don't know."

"I suppose that's something." A wicked idea popped into my head. "I ought to put you two into a room together and jam the door. I could do it, you know."

"Don't you dare. And while we're on the subject, missy, what the heck is up with you and Superfly boy, hmm? Who is he?" Her eyes bored into mine pointedly, brows raised.

Checkmate. Dammit.

"Ugh, fair enough. We're into each other, by the looks of it. I know I said I'd never get involved with a Super since Greg but there's just something about him, like he understands me. I don't really know what's going on, to be honest. It's been burning up my brain, but I couldn't really talk about it with anyone until now."

"And who is he really? Can you tell me that?" She repeated.

I looked away. "No."

"What, you can't trust me?" Her voice sounded a little hurt. Maybe she was more interested in the Super world now than she cared to admit.

"It's not that. I haven't figured that part out yet." When I finally met her eyes, she was looking half incredulous and half intrigued.

"You mean you have no idea who he is?"

I considered this, and decided to go with the truth. "I'm pretty positive it's someone I already know, but I'm not sure who. I've had my suspicions, though."

She cocked her head thoughtfully. "Have you kissed him yet?" When I nodded somewhat sheepishly, she let out a peal of laughter. "Oh this is way better than my drama! I wouldn't have pegged you for the masked stranger type." Her tone was both playful and suggestive.

"Only once!" I protested. "He doesn't feel like a stranger. We've really become friends. But I don't think I can handle not knowing for much longer, to be honest."

"Do you think it's Jackson?" Lexa asked bluntly.

"Maybe," I admitted. "There's a lot that makes sense about it. It could be Tristan too, though I don't really think so after our episode yesterday." Was it only yesterday that I'd raked him over the coals? It felt like much longer, after all that'd happened.

"Or it could be someone else entirely. What if it's Grant?" she teased, running down the same avenue that I'd already horrified myself with.

"I've ruled that one out with considerable relief," I answered with a rueful grin.

"Well, I'm so proud of you for getting back in the game in such a spectacular fashion. Even if he is a Super," she wrinkled her nose.

"Must I remind you about Seb?" I asked dryly.

"Right. Good point. Wow, this is messing with my world."

"You're telling me," was my emphatic response.

After breakfast at our favourite bustling cafe, we decided to go for a walk in a different park than the one in which I'd met Jackson the day before. It was a fairly small park and not one of the more popular ones, so it gave us plenty of privacy to talk.

"Was that Enigma stuff what you wanted advice about?" It was as if Lexa had read my mind.

"Not exactly. It's actually even more complicated than that." I paused, still in disbelief that I was actually about to utter the next words. "I'm thinking about joining the Super team."

Lexa goggled at me for a moment, clearly made speechless by such an unlikely proclamation. Finally, she found her voice. "Did I hear that right? After all these years of resistance?" I'd already explained briefly about my lifelong struggle against Gareth when I'd told her the truth about me.

"Believe me, it's not something I'd ever suggest lightly. I don't know if I have any plans to make it a long term thing, but I'm really considering it at least to fight off Morgan and his weasley little team. Last night made me conscious that I can't do it all by myself, and I could use more training to properly fight Villains, which isn't something I'd ever envisioned myself doing. Now, though, it's gotten too personal and I think the team and I might need each other. If I do it, I'm fully prepared to do it on my own terms. Gareth knows me too well, I'm sure, to ever delude himself that I'd sign up point blank without any caveats."

"That's a lot to digest," Lexa murmured, looking thoughtful. "What about your independence, and your principles about the Super world?"

"My terms would have to address that. I'm not going to be one of Gareth's show ponies. I'll only be there to be part of a united effort to take out the baddies. I just don't think I can justify trying to do this separately. I may be Superhuman but it has its limits, and taking on six Villains starts to push the bounds of hubris. I'm still not convinced that it's not my fault they got the tablet." I chewed my lip doubtfully, trapped in the middle of the warring sides of my brain.

It was a few moments before Lexa spoke. "Okay, this might surprise you, but I think you should do it. The Super team is a bunch of puffed up peacocks and they could use you to bring them back to Earth, along with Seb and your Enigma, of course. I don't think Morgan is going to let you stay away from this, and it's not like you even want to anymore given everything that's happened, so why not get some backup and go kick his creepy ass? Just don't become 'one of them,'" she teased lightly.

"One of them, one of them," I chanted robotically. "Thanks, Lex. I knew you'd give me your honest opinion, and that if you thought I should do it then I really should. I guess I'll have to go live out my nightmare of telling Gareth I'm in. I'm sorry to bring shame upon you with my life choices."

We exchanged an amused glance. "Don't Supers need costumes for the team?" Lexa asked nebulously.

"That's the tradition."

"Sounds like you'll need a good designer, then," her eyes glinted, and understanding dawned upon me.

"I'd like nothing better," I grinned.

She clapped her hands in glee. "We are going to make you the coolest Super out there."

"Well that's two things on the list, then. Talk to Gareth; get kitted out like a badass."

"Find out who your mystery masked boyfriend is," Lexa reminded sardonically, ticking off on her finger.

It was my turn to wrinkle my face. "I think that one has the scariest possibilities of all." She was right, though. It was probably time to start considering it in earnest.

***

"Kenna, good to see you," Gareth said politely as I took a seat in his office. It was decidedly un-lairy, which was a refreshing change at this point. "I'm feeling quite honoured by your presence here, I must admit."

"Well, I'm glad you're sitting down, because you might pass out when you hear what I have to say." I couldn't resist the usual temptation to make a sarcastic comment.

Gareth's eyebrow arched elegantly, but he only said with some appreciation, "before you do, I ought to commend you on your work the other night in retrieving your brother. I really can't apologise more for our oversight in allowing him to be taken in the first place. And for assigning Shadow to you; I feel terribly remiss in my lack of judgment regarding her. I hope that the damage she's done to the integrity and privacy of this team isn't irreparable."

To my surprise, I found myself reassuring him. "She's just a nasty piece of work with no real moral compass but she's done plenty of good work, so how were you to know? Though you know how I feel about you keeping all those personal records, I'm not here to lecture you on that. She betrayed a lot of people, and that's her responsibility, not yours. I also have to say that I'm sorry I couldn't stop them from using me to find the tablet. That one feels pretty rough."

He shook his head. "It is unfortunate, and I rue Morgan that immensely, but Sebastien's safety was paramount. You did the best you could, given the situation. I know you don't want to hear this, but it would do the team credit."

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, steeling myself against the habitual revulsion I'd always felt in imagining this moment. "Actually, that's really what I'm here for. I, um, want to join the team. On my own terms, of which I have several," I added hastily as his eyes widened and started to gleam.

He sat back and surveyed me, clearly rendered initially speechless like Lexa. "I never thought I'd see this day," he managed eventually. "This is truly excellent news, Kenna. I'd be happy to negotiate with you, if that's what it will take to finally bring you on board." I could tell he was trying hard not to gloat in his victory, which I appreciated even if the thought alone made me cringe a little.

"I'm not doing public signing events," I said flatly. "And I've got my own wardrobe designer. I will not do publicity. If you try to get me to a photoshoot I will not show up. If you trick me into it I will have my revenge. Please don't drag me to every meeting and text me constantly. I just want to do some training and help you take down Morgan with the team." I knew I sounded like a diva, but it was the only way I could convince myself to do this.

To his credit, he actually looked a little amused. "Not unreasonable, Kenna. I promise I won't give you reason to storm out on me again, or ... 'rearrange' my office."

I let out an involuntary snort of laughter, so spot on was he with my visions of creative revenge.

"How soon do you think you can join us?" Gareth asked politely, though his eyes twinkled a little. "We're stepping up patrols at the museum for now to try and prevent a second theft while we re-evaluate the amulet's future and draft up a plan to retrieve the tablet from Morgan. We have a meeting tomorrow but that's too early for you, I'm sure. For now you can have Sebastien fill you in, and work with your designer. You can let me know when you're ready and we'll get you training. If you want to practise combat with any other other Supers that's fine, but we don't have any other telekinetics, so you'll have to work with one of our trainers who has some theoretical expertise in the area."

"It'll be a few days at least. I don't know how soon I can get a disguise but I know it's kind of high priority so we'll do what we can. Thank you for understanding my position, Gareth," I said sincerely.

"Then it's agreed." We stood up and shook hands. "I can't tell you how glad I am to have you onboard. I suppose I have my brother to thank for one thing at least." He smiled like he'd tried and failed to resist saying that.

"Don't push your luck," I warned.

Gareth gave me a cheekier look than I'd seen him make before, but said nothing as I left the room.

Outside, my heart leapt to find Enigma a few feet down the hallway.

"Oh, hey," I said both shyly and guiltily. I hadn't really talked to him about it before making this decision, since I wanted it to be my own.

"Oh hey yourself," he replied warmly, making up the distance until he stood very close, but didn't touch me. I would have liked him to, but I understood. We were both conscious of exactly where we were at that moment. "Just going over things with Gareth?"

"Well, yes, but that's not the only thing we were talking about." I glanced around to make sure that it was just us and lowered my voice. "I've done some thinking after the other night, and I've decided to join the team, at least for now. I want to formally help kick some Villainous ass." I grinned, but felt my heart flutter anxiously as I watched his face for a response.

Not for the the first time I wished I could see him think without a mask on. He didn't pause nearly as long as Lexa or Gareth had. "Are you sure this is what you want? I hope you aren't feeling bullied into it. You know we'll help you without you having to give up your principles."

My heart stopped fluttering and started dancing erratically instead. Throwing caution to the wind, I cupped his face in my hands. "Thank you so much for never pressuring me, but I promise, it's what I want. I won't pretend my hand hasn't been forced a little, but that's all Morgan's doing. Gareth's agreed to bring me in on my own terms. I know it must be crazy for you, having met me at the height of my resistance."

I felt his hands wrap around my waist, and he pulled me in closer. "Then let me be the first, Kenna Jones, to welcome you to the team. I knew you'd eventually want to spend more time with me," he said playfully.

"I can assure you, I'm doing this for myself, not you," I teased back, trying to keep my tone light even though I was revelling in his arms around me. It was amazing how different it all was to my time with Cobalt, who'd imploded our relationship over my refusal to join the Supers.

"You wound me, but I wouldn't have it any other way," he smirked. I let my fingertips trail down the edges of his jaw, while he moved in even closer.

Suddenly, footsteps approaching the door from the inside startled me, and I pulled away in time for Gareth to open the door.

"Hello, Enigma, I was expecting you," he greeted, giving no indication that he noticed how close we were still standing to one another.

Enigma reached for my hand out of sight and gave it a little squeeze. "Kenna's just told me the news."

"I'm sure you are delighted as I am," Gareth replied, flicking a single curious glance at me.

"Well, that might be an overstatement," Enigma said impishly. He barely jumped when I pinched him.

"I'm going to go now. See you both later. Gareth, I'll be in touch like we discussed." I suppressed a snicker when I met Enigma's eyes and made my escape.

***

First up: this chapter is dedicated to @WarriorPrincess66 - for your fun comments and your support!!

Now back to your regularly scheduled A/N:

Okay, who saw that coming?? 5 points to Gryffindor if you did!

Kenna walking in to her meeting with Gareth like:

Do you agree with her decision?