The Morning After

Alatea awoke to the smell of frying bacon and eggs. A hand softly caressed her hair.

As her eyes fluttered open she saw John lying in bed next to her, one hand under her pillow, her other gently running through her blond mane.

"Good morning, Sunshine..." he said with a charming smile, "I was afraid you were going to sleep the whole morning away."

He looked up at the sun, which was already several degrees above the horizon and shining brightly over the city. From Alatea's kitchen the sound of a spatula scraping against a pan and the sizzle of meat cooking could be heard.

"It's going to be quite a beautiful day."

Alatea woke slowly, snuggling into John's arms groggily. It was only after she realized that she was snuggling into the arms of the man who was presumably making breakfast that her eyes opened. Sure enough, there he was, looking quite handsome. She blushed a little when she realized that they were both still naked.
"Good morning, John. Is that you in the kitchen?"

John laughed.

"I hope so." he said, "Otherwise we're both in for a huge surprise."

At that moment, a head peaked around the corner of the bamboo wall seperating the kitchen from the rest of the house. It was the spitting image of John.

"No, unfortunately not. Just you, I'm afraid." it said, before disappearing.

"Don't mind him" the John laying next to her said, "He's always a little odd before he's had his morning coffee."

Alatea laughed. "I wouldn't say there is anything unfortunate about having you around." She told him with a smile, stealing a kiss. "So aren't you supposed to be out saving your partner today?"

John stretched.

"Mmmmm... well, I suppose so. I haven't heard from the rest of the team yet. I assume they'll let me know if they need me. Why, are you already that desperate to get rid of me?" he said with a grin.

Alatea rolled her eyes and pushed him gently. "Of course not, I just don't want to get you in trouble on my first day back."
She yawned widely and snuggled up. "I have to say, this is probably the best morning I've had in years. It must be nice to be able to stay in bed and still get things done."

John was silent for a moment as he ran a mental scan of all his clones. At that moment he was lying in bed, cooking in the kitchen, sitting in his office at the league while watching the news, running a computer search on all of the local superheroes in town, and ordering coffee at the same coffeehouse he had taken Alatea to yesterday.

"You have no idea." he said.

At that moment, the other John came out of the kitchen carrying a large tray. He was wearing a pair of boxer shorts and nothing else, and didn't seem the least bit shy about it.

"Breakfast..." he said as he sat the tray down on the foot of the bed. It was loaded with fried eggs, bacon, toast, fresh fruit, and orange juice.

"I didn't want to wake you and I wasn't sure how you liked your eggs. My powers are many and varied, but I don't do mind reading... yet. So I took a guess."

Alatea wasn't shy about taking a good look at him as he brought in the tray. She figured there wasn't much point for modesty after the night before. She sat up, letting the sheet fall to her waist.
"Thank you, John, it smells delicious." She said, gratefully, moving to take the tray after he set it down. She sat touching the John still lying in bed and smiled at both of them. "Fried is just fine. I'm not picky about my eggs, they're delicious no matter what."
She picked up a fork and started eating happily, pausing after a few bites. "This is delicious, thank you. Do you want some? There's just so many of you. I don't know how the food thing works for you, but I imagine you're probably as hungry as I am. We were quite active last night."

John smiled slyly as the clone who had made breakfast began to quickly disintegrate. In moments he was nothing more than a small pile of dust, which itself evaporated into nothingness, leaving nothing behind but a faint smell of charcoal and ozone.

"We were indeed." john said, picking up a piece of toast, "I have to say, I was quite impressed at your... enthusiasm. You have amazing stamina."

Calypso blinked, vaguely unsettled by watching her lover disintegrate in front of her, although she knew that he was in fact still sitting next to her. She was sure it was something she would get used to, but for now, seeing it was just a tiny bit unsettling.
She turned her attention to the John sitting next to her while eating a slice of fruit. She smiled, the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks at the topic of conversation. "Well, thank you. I do have a rather large pool of energy to draw from. I definitely can't complain about your performance either." She smiled, her eyes fluttering as she remembered the previous night's activities. "Although I think we scared off the birds."

John laughed, his blue eyes flashing in the morning light.

"I think that had more to do with the impromptu lightning show that sprung out of nowhere above us. Remind me never to make you angry."

He stretched languidly and put his arm around her again, pulling her slightly closer against his skin.

"So what's on your schedule for today?"

Alatea laughed. "Oh, but the lighting really made things so much more interesting." She shook her head and took a bite of her toast. "I'd very much prefer that you didn't, in any case. Between the two of us if we got into that much of a fight, half the city would be dust before we were through. Besides, I think I like having you around."
She sighed happily as he pulled her closer. "Oh, not much. I've put in my official request to rejoin the league, which means I'm waiting for the Lady to call me in to approve or deny it. As usual, Duani and Beatriz will vouch for me, so it's really just a matter of time." She smiled. "So we have a while, because the Lady will most likely make me wait to establish herself as firmly in control."

"Quite the politician, you are." John said, "You'd have made a great spy. I can see how well her 'Establishing Control' has worked in the past. How many times is this you've switched sides, now?"

Alatea smiled. "This is the third time I've joined the league, the fifth time I've left the Force. But then, I've been in Genera for fourteen years, so I don't shift THAT often. I just tend to fall somewhere in-between. I want to help people, but the Force is just so stuck up sometimes, and they are forever giving everyone mercy and second chances, as if everyone just needed enough kindness to stop doing evil things. I suppose I can't complain too hard, if it weren't for that, they'd never let me back in."
She sighed. "And the League's really not much better, they're so busy thinking evil means they're free to do whatever the crap they want without any thought to maintaining the world for when they do take over. Duani's not a bad sort, but the rest of them? Shortsighted fools."
She shrugged and went back to eating her breakfast. "So I switch when the timing seems right and my Lady is willing to allow it. Luckily for me she enjoys keeping people guessing."

John munched on his toast while she talked, nodding ocassionally.

"Well, you're not wrong. I actually debated joining the force myself. But some of my... methods... seemed a little strong for their tastes. The league is a perfect opportunity for those like us. It just needs direction. Guidance."

As he spoke, Alatea wondered if he was actually voicing his own opinion, or just what he thought she wanted to hear. It would be nice if he was on their side, and he had seemed to have a working relationship with Duani, but she didn't want to say something where she shouldn't and get Duani in trouble. She decided to just leave the other woman out of it. "Very true. Unfortunately, I'm not fit to guide a breadbox, with a famously fickle Lady controlling my every move. All I can do is hope that someone else out there CAN."

John simply smiled.

"Well, I'm sure something will turn up." he said.

"Speaking of your lady, what's she like? I can't imagine what it must be like to answer to a real, live god."

Alatea sighed. "She's... different. Gods are nothing like people, no matter how much us mortals would like to think otherwise. She has absolutely no regard for mortals except as beings that fuel her own power." She paused, then shook her head. "No, that's not right. We're like animals to them. Sure, it's sad if your favorite dies, but all in all it's better to let them fend for themselves. My Lady in particular views humans as her playthings. She has never been a kind or forgiving goddess, and after so long with such little mortal belief, so many people treating her as a myth or a joke, she has just gotten worse about it."
She sighed and turned back to her breakfast. "She insists on having the final say in any decision I make, always for her own agenda, and always without consideration for me."

John nodded, a hint of understanding in his eyes.

"You may not believe me... but I know what that's like." he said.

"What would happen if you told her no? If you decided you didn't want to serve her anymore?"

A shadow passed across her face at the question. "A few things, John. Firstly, the lives of my Father and Brother are dependent on my service. If I quit, they die." She swallowed hard and looked away. "In addition, my own life is contractually bound to her service, so I would most likely die as well. At the very least, she could do whatever she wanted with me."

John sensed the change in Alatea's emotional state and decided to quickly switch topics. No sense in bringing up painful topics now.

"Where in the carribean are you from exactly? I've been to several of the islands. They're stunningly beautiful. Not unlike yourself."

Alatea snuggled just a bit closer, suddenly feeling cold despite the warmth of the house. Of all of the topics of conversation she preferred avoiding, this was by far the one she hated most. All the same, under the circumstances she felt that he had earned honesty from her, at least in personal matters.
"I'm from Gozo," She told him quietly, abandoning any pretense of trying to continue eating. "It's very small, near Cuba."

John sensed her hesitancy and discomfort. Obviously there was something about her home that she didn't like thinking about, much less discussing. He ran a hand reassuringly through her hair. He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead.

"I'm sorry." he said, "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want."

Alatea smiled up gratefully. "Thanks" She said softly, leaning into him as he stroked her hair. This was nice, she thought, enjoying the simplicity of the moment. Such physical intimacy was new to her, but it was comfortable as if she'd been doing it for years.
"What about you, John? What's your story?"

John forced a smile and continued stroking her hair for a moment before answering.

"Well... that depends a great deal on who the storyteller is. I'm originally from Iowa. God awful place. The only real upside to it is the horizon. There's some sort of trick of light and distance or something that makes it look like it goes on forever. Nowhere else on Earth do you get a horizon like that. Trust me, I've looked."

He sighed a little, as if at bittersweet memories.

"I've been all over. Asia, South America, Europe, even a few short stints in Africa. I won't go into what I did there. Suffice to say I got very good at what I do."