Power Dating 3 (Patreon)

Karen looked up from her drink, not exactly surprised by such a statement—she knew it had to be something most, almost all men thought when talking to her—but when she saw his blushing face, she knew how emphatically he meant it. It wasn’t just that he wanted her. He cared for her. He wanted to add to the good experiences she’d had on Earth, not simply gratify himself.

“And would you?” she asked, wanting to see if he had an answer that could satisfy her.

“I think so,” he replied. “Maybe it’d be like flying too close to the sun… getting what you want and finding out it’s better as a fantasy… but I don’t think so. I’ve liked—I’ve loved getting to know you so far. Getting to know you even better would just be… better.”

“I’m sure a lot of guys would think so.”

“Yeah, I mean no, not like that, like them,” Ted insisted, not knowing that she was teasing him, that she found his little speech adorable. “I think I know you pretty well at this point and, Karen… you couldn’t disappoint me. Not your body. You.”

Ted stopped talking and looked like he’d burnt out his engine from the effort. He’d never told a woman that he loved her before. He hadn’t exactly told Karen that; it would be safer if he had, if he did love her, if he could be sure that there was some baseline of intimacy and attraction and emotional compatibility to fall back on.

Saying that he could love someone to a person he did not yet love… that he was on the precipice of loving… seemed far riskier. A danger that was almost too much for him. But then, if he were entirely meek, he wouldn’t be the Blue Beetle.

Silently, he watched for her reaction.

“You know, if someone ripped your mask right off you, right in the middle of Times Square, I bet you’d look a little like this,” Karen said, beaming at him.

Ted sat up a little, not sure if she was teasing him or not. Or knowing she was, but not how much. If she was just letting him down easy or playing a little hard to get. He didn’t quite have the confidence to believe that she did care and was touched by how gallantly he’d ventured out his confession.

“Are you afraid I’ll turn you down?” Karen continued. “Don’t be ridiculous. I haven’t been sitting here all evening just to talk.”

Ted’s face became all smile. It wasn’t a rejection. The way she looked at him was too sweet to ever be a dismissal. It was a look of welcome. Maybe not today, but he could wait. He could wait a long time for a woman who’d put up with him as she had. She looked the way she did and she’d listened to him for so long… she liked him. She actually liked him!

“In fact,” she kept going, “we’re spending way too much money buying drinks here. Let’s go to my place. The drinks aren’t so pricey and I think you’ll find the company much better.” She winked at him.

Ted’s heart did maneuvers he wouldn’t have thought the pilot would even attempt. She wanted him and not later, now. His eyes gleamed with happiness and a hint of victory. He planned to take her as thoroughly as he’d wanted her. The way he was feeling right now, there was no way he wouldn’t satisfy her.

Her phone chimed. Karen looked at her purse irritatedly, then she recognized the tone and her face set in consternation. Ted recognized the look. He’d worn it enough times himself. This life had a way of interrupting you just when you had a good thing going. The call wasn’t for Karen Starr, it was for Power Girl.

“I need to take this,” she told him gravely.

Ted put on a brave face for her, an understanding face. As disappointed as he was, the last thing he wanted to do was send her off feeling lousy about the way things had turned out.

This was the life they’d chosen. What was their happiness, their contentment, their peace of mind to the silent masses of people they could protect by eighty-sixing their personal lives and jumping into danger at a moment’s notice?

“I get it,” he said, forcing a smile. He pantomimed checking his phone. “Guess they don’t need a bug-shaped airship in the mix.”

“They’re probably holding you in reserve. Put tonight on my tab, okay?” She checked to see if anyone was watching, then moved off so fast it was like she’d disappeared.

Ted sighed. Even the thought that she was now in that exquisite costume couldn’t mollify him. Why couldn’t he just have a good thing going without seeing it stolen away from him? He didn’t mind being a goof, being a funnyman, but why did the joke always have to be on him?

“Fuck it,” he said under his breath, and took his business to the bar. Karen was needed and he wasn’t, so what the hell, he’d spend the night with the thought of her instead of her.

A man sleeps as well drunk as he does loved, he declared silently to himself.

“Double scotch and a water back,” he said to the bartender as he sagged onto a stool.

The drink went down fast and hard and he followed it with a big gulp of ice water, telling himself that it’d be easier to think about Karen if he didn’t think about her.

***

But a hundred miles away, approaching Star City, Karen fought with herself in mute anger and frustration. She knew she was doing the right thing. She knew this was not just what she had to do, but what Ted wanted her to do.

Yet her mind couldn’t free itself from wondering what could’ve happened next in a night that’d already been so perfect. The more she’d talked to Ted, the more she was convinced of how wonderful and kind he was.

When she got to Star City, it was to see Starro with all his tentacles in manacles, the JSA starting in on clean-up. The Freedom Fighters were there too… unlikely reinforcements from another corner of the multiverse.

“Hey Peej,” Wildcat greeted her. “Guess everyone’s showing up tonight…”

“Do you need me or not?” Karen asked, urgency straining in her voice.

“I suppose we could use a hand with crowd control.”

“Oh, no one ever needs help with crowd control!” Karen snapped, and flew back the way she’d came.

There, she thought. I’ve done it. I’ve chosen Karen Starr over Power Girl and God help me, I liked it.

She knew she wouldn’t stop now, not after feeling the relief that had flooded through her. She’d made the choice and she’d hold fast to it. The ball was in Ted’s court now—she’d deliver it right to him.

Barely taking the nanosecond she needed to switch out of her costume and into her dress, she ran through the revolving door and into the darkness of the cocktail lounge.

“Ted!” she cried as she returned.