Here we are: double date number three. We're into the dinner half of dinner and a movie. Later, all our minds'll turn to mush watching The Avenging Angel (and his sidekick Cherub). It's your average hack comic book turned movie. Bart's choice. Carol and Tana are just happy not to see the popular World War 2 flick. Me? I wanted to see Terri Jackson's silver screen debut. I was outvoted.

It's odd sitting here in pseudo-plastic padding with one arm flung around my girl. We've cheated fate and it doesn't seem wrong. Slightly off, but not wrong. It's like when you're in a dream and you know it's not real but you just don't want to wake up yet and know you'll regret it when you do. Surreal. Yeah, that's the word.

A completely different reality. It's fitting, because that's what it is.

Kind of exploitation too, because of the big evil purple guy.

Too fast? Let me explain.

So way back in the world I call normal. Young Justice had triumphed over spooky universal I-can-reshape-reality powers from this kid named Matt Stuart who got possessed by the creepy evil purple guy called Bedlam. So we beat him. Fast forward a few years, he came back and we had to do it all over again. Except this time we didn't really defeat creepy. Imp intercepted the powers and ta da! Meet Bart Allen the most powerful kid in the universe.

Now, Bart being Bart goes and tries to tackle all the world's problems. Now we've got cars that run on water (countries fighting over water rights), limited school days (everyone is flunking because you just can't learn enough), talking dogs (who now demand equal rights) and a bunch other randomness. That's my boy.

Actually, he's not anymore. Not when he started rescuing people... and bringing them back from the dead. It wasn't as creepy as I first thought it would be. Although, now it sort of freaks me out that he didn't even ask. He just sorta assumed.

We were at his palace/house/thingy and one minute we're relaxing, just chatting about this and that. Actually, he was doing most of the talking. About how great it was that Carol was back. About how much he missed her. How cool it was. How perfect it was.

I just kinda nodded and murmured. How do you tell someone you can't be happy for them-- for him-- when you're jealous of her.

For the record, we didn't even break up. No farewell, kick off, no nada. Not even a 'Sorry, Kon, I've got Carol back but it's been fun.' He didn't say a word.

I know he doesn't mean to babble on about her. He just doesn't think. Carol knows, but then she kinda did before.

I don't know if Bart figured it out (not that I was good at hiding it) or if Carol clued him in, but the next time I stopped by he got this pleased look on his face. I could feel the envy already creeping up on me and I braced myself for another Carol story.

"What?" I asked, positive I didn't want to know.

"I've been thinking." He tapped his head for emphasis.

"Oh-kay..." I said. "That's... good."

He nodded. Then she's just there. No preamble or nothing. No close your eyes, no make a wish, no count to three. He didn't scream out surprise, or say a word. She's just there in front of me with a snap of his fingers and a purple glow in his eyes.

She's beautiful.

She's alive.

With something-- someone-- so perfect in front of you, you lose the ability to speak. All I could do was stare because she wasn't dead, she wasn't a clone, she was my Tana alive and right in front of me.

Too good to be true. There she was.

With everything I've lived through, I couldn't help but think I deserved it. Superheroes should get a break, right? Just one wish?

So I'm sitting next to her, waiting for the waitress to come so we can place our order. He's across from me, next to Carol. It all feels too normal. Too simple.

Too perfect.

Getting back to the dream parallel, I'm not sure I want anything to change. When you know you're dreaming, you don't want to wake up because you don't care. Reality can hurt and even though what you have isn't real it's good enough for the moment. And you want to live in the moment, even if it's false, because you have her back.

It's enough to convince you, but not enough to make it real.

The powers are corrupting him. The purple glow in his eyes flares more and more. Bart's becoming malicious, and sadistic, and vicious. His temper flares. He hits people.

Bart Allen is now hurting his friends in anger and frustration. The idea, the mere concept, is so wrong that one wouldn't believe unless he'd seen it with his own eyes.

I saw it.

The dream has turned to a nightmare now, and I can't afford to sleep in ignorant bliss any longer. The fantasy that was my reality has shattered and I have to come back to the here and now. Here and now, everything is wrong.

Bart's not willing to give the powers up or maybe it's the other way around. No one can get through. He yells at his grandfather, his father, his mother. His entire family, most of whom he's never met. He snips at Carol... and he's hit her. It's all gone too far.

Talking doesn't help. He lashes out. I've got the bruises to prove it.

I'm not quite sure what to do, but I know I have to do something. I'll need help of course. A lot of it. I wonder how hard it would be to gather all the metas around.

I know if we win, everything goes boom. Reset.

No more talking dogs.

Reset.

No more flying cars.

Reset.

She disappears. Dead. I'll miss her. I don't want to let her go.

Reset.

Bart goes back to normal. The purple glow leaving him, hopefully, for good.

Reset.

It'll be worth it. Everything has to get back to the state of right. It's all of nothing and there can't be any middle ground. I've chosen him... and I didn't even realize it was a contest. It isn't... it's more than that.

It's the difference between a dream and reality.

Dreams fade with time... leaving you with feelings that grow with absence. Reality lies solidly at your feet. It will hurt you and reward you but it won't make you false promises. Reality is honest... and constant.

Reality is where he's normal, even if she's dead.

I want reality back.

fin

~story index~