n/a: Requested by Willow, and anon. Combined both requests because I'm lazy.

I enjoyed writing this I want to expand on superheroes in my personal writings anyway, so this was nice practice.

Warning: Some shut near the end. Lots of angst, or at least I tried to write lots of angst. Haven't ventured there before so critique would be great.

James had to get back to the Richard Rodgers Theatre. His call time was in half an hour, but he was on the other side of the city, far away from Broadway. He had promised Jaqueline he would give up the vigilante stuff and get a normal job now that they had Ollie and another on the way, but he could not bring himself too. Every day he heard someone who needs help. Someone who needed his help. He had to make the world a better place. Not for him, but for his kids. He was doing it one bad guy at a time.

It was not that he did like his job, just that he did not see what theatre could do. He met people all the time after the show who claimed it showed them all the possibilities but was it changing lives? Was it really comforting all those military wives or were they just saying that? He had no idea. But this, this is could see, smell, taste. With this, he knew was making a difference.

His alarm beeped. He had to leave now, or he would not make it. Theoretically, he could use his powers, but given what he'd already done today it wasn't a good idea. Overuse negatively affected his health. The police were already here, but he was not sure they had it under control. If he did not make it to the theatre, Jaqueline would know. She would see the connection between the vigilante appearance and his callout, and it would be over.

His phone rang, it was Jac. Why aren't you in your dressing room?

Pic, now James or this is over.

I am not emotional, I am serious. Stress is not good for the baby. Our baby. YOUR baby. Shit James do you want to be alive and see them grow up or not? If you do not want to, that is fine, but you must let me know so I can start planning and don't you dare for a second think I am not going to ask for some form of child support. Either from you or your parents, whoever pays up.

He sighed. There was no way he was going to win this one. He put his phone in his pocket and turned it off. There was no point in making it back in time now.

His castmates would wonder where he was, but other than that, nothing much. James needed something, and he was not getting it there.

~

Ma'am Vocalle had shown up in NYC around the same time he did. There had been some news of her in DC around the time he had been doing If/Then previews as well, but those were unfounded rumours. Idina had called out sick for the past two days. Walker had left and he had a feeling it had something to do with that. He had not seen Oliver since Jacqueline had served him with divorce papers. James had no energy to fight it. He found himself haphazardly floating through life. He went to the theatre, he beat up the bad guys, he went to sleep alone.

Idina was a light. Despite whatever she might be feeling inside, she was always a beacon. Her laugh, her positive outlook. And yet she admitted life could suck and this would be hard. He was rebounding and had started avoiding her, not wanting to pull her into his mess. She didn't deserve it.

At least with her around, he could focus on mitigation and his job. Being a superhero didn't pay the bills. Jackie was in today, but it wasn't like performing against Idina. At least she would be in for the evening performance. He was more excited than he should be.

The show went well, but that was it. He skipped the cast door to go to the gym to pass the time. He was signed up at a boxing gym and he needed to work on his roundhouse. It was by the door. He was halfway through his set when he was Idina walk in.

His heart stopped. She was in black yoga pants with dark purple accents and nothing else but a matching sports bra. She was already sweating. He tried not to stare as she signed in and pulled out her boxing gloves. She started her set with the classic one-two punch, alternating with hooks every two minutes.

"James," someone exclaimed. "You're hogging the roundhouse mate."

"Oh, sorry " he mumbled. He moved to the knee jabs., then the front-facing kick, alternating sides and angles. His back kick was bad. As he moved to the groundwork he got another good look at Idina as she switched to the roundhouse her form was immaculate. There was something similar about her form. He'd seen it before, even if he had not seen her at the gym.

Suddenly, Idina checked her phone and ran off. It was like she had never even been here leaving a gap in the area she had once been working out in.

James checked his. He still had time before he had to be at the Richard Rodgers, so he wasn't sure where she was rushing off to.

Don't think about it, she owes you nothing, he told himself as he finished up his sets. He was stretching when he saw on the news that Ma'am Vocalle was at it again in her teal and white spandex. She looked a bit like something out of a cartoon, unlike James, the Shadow, who struck to alone incognito look.

He wondered who she was. She never spoke. Whenever she did, it was to yell at theirs and knock them down with her voice.

He wondered if she could ever speak normally. And how she got that way. For James, he had been travelling in college, chasing a dream when he got caught in a mugging. He was the only one of his friends to make it out, and he wasn't the same since. It had been a day around a decade ago. Anyone who had been in a life or death situation came out different if they came out at all. No one knew why. Most people weren't keen on being guinea pigs to try and find out. All anyone knew was super crimes started happening, and people like James and Ma'am Vocalle stepped up to stop them.

He got some food and called his lawyer. He went over his paperwork until he had to go back. He could slow down time but he couldn't speed it up. Not to mention the only slowed time around him. He was shaving off years of his life every time he did. Maybe he could slow it down so much and live out his life and in the span of a footstep, people would watch him grow old and die. He wanted to die. There was no point to anything now.

When he got to the theatre, he walked past Idina's room. He could hear her talking, going on about the show and how much it meant. How much its message meant. How important everyone was and every choice made. Idina believed in this show more than anyone James had ever met and she was the sole reason he was still here. She made him believe in it too.

Not to mention the kissing was pretty good.

Putting a smile on his face, James opened the door without knocking. He froze. Idina was half-naked, phone between her shoulder and cheek, changing out of a teal and white spandex suit.

Holy shit.

Idina froze when she saw him. Her phone dropped.

Fuck.

No k e was supposed to know. She didn't even care that she was in nothing but her underwear. She just stared at him until her senses came back and she told him coldly to shut the door.

He did so, in just as much shock. Then, he raised his arm and pointed to a band. Idina squinted, trying to make out what it was. Then she saw the familiar gray waves of the Shadow's time vortex.

Holy fucking shit.

Holy fucking shit!

Her heart started racing. She had yet to find her words. James placed a silencing finger to his lips as the vortex surrounded them and soon they were in a shadowy world where time barely passed. Her prone screen was glitching, unable to function and be in this reality at the same time.

"So you're the Shadow?" Idina said, straightening up. She oiled her spandex off her ankle then held it across her chest

"And you're Ma'am Vocalle," he noted.

She nodded. She motioned for him to sit down on the couch. They talked for what seemed like hours but according to the clock on her wall, it had only been two minutes. She pulled one of Taye's old shirts on to cover herself but didn't bother with anything else. He was divorced and honestly if was focused on checking her out, James wouldn't notice that she was checking him out. And James Snyder was a fine view. A very fine view indeed. Not that she hadn't noticed before... just...fuck. He was hot. And recently single. And hot. And ripped.

She cleared her head and looked back at his face. He was telling her about how he became the way he was. Then, because she felt like she had to, she told him. She and Taye had been fighting. Taye had been drunker than a skunk. He threw something at her and it shattered. She started screaming. He hit her. She screamed again., only making his escalate until her scream sent him flying against the wall.

"It's why I do it," she mumbled looking forlorn. "Every time I use my power I remember why I can't g back to Taye. I had lacerations in my eye, broken fingers, a shattered nose. Bruising. I didn't realize I had powers until he got drunk after Walk was born and I lost my shit when he raised his voice at Walk because he wouldn't stop crying. I lost it..." she trailed off.

James pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "We've got time," he replied pulling her as close as she'd let him.

Idina paused for a moment, processing the fact that James was touching her. Then she brought her legs closer and curled up against him. It was nice talking to someone who knew what it was like.

"You're going to be exhausted if you keep this up too much longer," Idina reminded them. The price for their power was the energy it would take to do what they did. For Idina, a few minutes of yelling was like a full show, just without the vocal issues. James had told her once, like Shadow, that he used up the energy he would have needed to live the times over and over again or something like that. The more of a workout he had while in the vortex the more he crashed.

"This isn't that tiring," he replied. "I could think of something that would knock me out cold though."

She smirked and hugged him. "I'm glad it is you," she said after a minute. "I felt so alone. Then Shadow popped up. Walk was so amazed and I thought maybe he'd like me more if I was a cool superhero too, but then I realized I could never tell him. And he thinks Vocalle is pathetic anyway. I'm surprised Taye hasn't put the pieces together."

"Jac couldn't handle the worry."

"She's pregnant. I've been pregnant before. It sucks. The human race needs to be thankful babies are so cute because if they weren't it is not worth it. Not that you're kids aren't worth it, just being present, I mean..." she sighed. She couldn't have it.

"It's okay," he said. "I get it."

"How much time do we have?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. He did play around with it too much outside of crime-fighting. Jacqueline was not a fan. "Are you good?" he asked. "We should be getting back, but if you need some it's fine."

Idina curled up against him. "This is not," she said. I don't think I've ever met someone who just gets it as you do."

"Well, you haven't met me before," he joked with a smirk.

She chuckled, hugging him. James took a risk and hugged her back. She sighed, closing her eyes.

"I don't want you crashing before the show even starts," Idina said after a moment. "We should get ready. Do you want to come over to my place tonight? I know how to get over a divorce or at the very least act like you're over it. I want to talk more. I've never met anyone else like me. Turns out not as many people as you think to survive a near-death experience in a day."

"If that's what you want to do," James said, "we can do it."

~

The next few weeks were bliss. The two of them were arranging and organizing, covering different incidences. It means they got some downtime, but it also meant that the time they spent outside the theatre was apart.

Idina liked James, proper wanted to date like him. She liked Oliver too. She'd met him once and was helping James build his custody case. He had a good one. Better than she had with Taye. Jacqueline didn't have a job. She was living with her parents. She was always postponing because she was pregnant and came up with a million excuses. They were not complete shit, but Idina's pregnancy had been one of the worst her ob-gyn had ever seen so she was fairly sure she had a good grasp on what was reasonable and what was made up.

Tonight was one of the rare nights they were both free and they were cuddling on the couch watching a movie. She stared at his jawline, his lips. She was so close to them, she could just close the gap. Instead, she placed her head on his shoulder and sighed, turning her gaze back to the screen.

James was drawing slow circles on her upper arm. His head leaned against hers. She was aware of his every touch. But she doubted he felt the same.

Meanwhile, James was thinking the same thing about Idina. He doubted she saw him as anything more than she trusted best friend. He doubted she could. They were both broken and not in the right place to be in a relationship anyway. They were just keeping each other sane, cooking, working, planning together. Keeping each other in check. He was making sure she didn't unravel and she was doing the same for him. He wasn't going to risk Idina for anything. Having her here was more than he ever could have hoped and he was so happy.

He kissed her forehead and felt her squeeze his arm. She knew exactly how he wanted her to think he felt.

The urge to pull her into his lap was strong. He just wanted to hold her, more than he already was. She had another fight with Taye today. Apparently, Taye had been skimping his anger management and flopped at Walker. The kid was currently at his Nan's since Taye still had custody and didn't want Idina getting extra time.

She was such a trooper. He was lined up to get majority custody of Oliver, and the new baby girl when she came all because of the amazing woman in his arms. The same woman who couldn't keep her son.

He reached to the coffee table and ate some more grapes, offing some to Idina. Idina took one and placed it between her red painted lips before biting it in half and swallowing. He stared at her neck. Maybe he was wrong and he could not do this.

"Shots?" Idina asked.

"Yes," he said. A drink would stop him from going mad. Body shots! His brain yelled.

Pulling out the tequila, James had a moment where he wondered if he should just grab the wine, but Idina had followed him into the kitchen. The television was still blaring the space movie neither of them had been watching for the past hour.

He grabbed the salt a lime as well and saw Idina smirk.

"So we are going to have a good night," she chuckled.

"You weren't liking Revenge of the something aliens?" he teased.

"Nope," she replied. "I don't think you were either."

"What do you mean?" he asked, leaning back against the counter in a way he hoped looked more seductive than stupid.

Charmed, Idina smiled as she invited herself into the kitchen. She got some glasses out from the cupboard, deliberately giving him a good view of her butt. She wondered if this was a good idea. A drink or two would be fine, getting drunk could ruin their friendship.

That's when she noticed they'd practically moved in with each other. They came in and out of each other's apartment's like it was nothing. She had half her clothes here and a half at her place. Same for James. Oliver had even slipped and called her mom and neither of them had corrected him.

They needed boundaries, not a drink. But James was pouring the toxic liquid into tiny shot glasses and doing that thing with his face that she couldn't say no to. She wondered if he'd go for it if she stuck the salt on her neck. James was such a flirt, she certainly would.

Idina subscribed herself to the notion she would do it just to feel what it would be like.

They laid the salt out on the counter, with shot glasses down the line with the lime at the end. The person to finish first got to choose the next challenge.

Three, two, one and in flustered giggling they were showing each other out of the way, trying to get to the first shot glass. Five in and Idina had the lead she wanted. She liked the mountains of salt off the plates then had a wonderful idea. She stuck both limes in her mouth in the plain view of James, squeaking at the repugnant taste.

She cocked an eyebrow. Try my Snyder, it said. He did.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her, using his tongue to maneuver the lime out of Idina's mouth and into his own, making her moan as he did so. She felt his hands tighten around her tights she did. It was just her imagination.

But they didn't part lips until Idina spit her lime slice out. James followed suit, then locked lips with her again.

Butterflies swarmed in her stomach as James Snyder kissed her. Passionately. He groaned.

Fuck, he wanted her! Idina's hand rose to his hair, pulling herself up and closer. He lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He held her against himself as he continued to draw longing noises from her core. She could feel the longing growing between her thighs.

He gently placed her on the counter and pulled away for a minute, staring into her eyes. She could not hold his gaze.

"Are you okay with this?' he asked his hand on her thigh.

She nodded.

"Are you sure?" he asked again.

Idina looked up at him. He wanted this too. It is was not just her. He wanted this. "yes," she said, leaning in to kiss his lips again. She wanted all of him.

Slowly, he maneuvers them so that he was pressing her against a wall and suddenly all their parts were pressed up against each other. Idina couldn't tell who was more desperate.

"Oh, sweet Jesus," she whimpered as he thrust his hips against her. "Oh God, oh dear God," she moaned as a warmth spread through her body, tingling as it went making her legs feel like jelly.

James continued his torturous slow assault, each time trusting against her a hit harder.

"Fuck drop the pants," she managed to get out. Then she started sucking on his neck.

He pulled them away from the wall. Idina looked up for a moment, confused. His lips met hers again and he started to stumble down the hallway. Idina wiggled free and stumbled along with him, falling backwards until she hit a door.

James opened it and scooped her up under the legs. She clung to him in pure ecstasy. He laid her down on the soft duvet as Jenny, kneeling by the bedside and caressing her face before he leaned in for another kiss.

Idina's body pivoted towards him, her desperation growing.

James was slow. He made her feel good. He let her take control, or at least feel like she had control. As they stripped down, they suddenly lost their feverish forever and became entranced with each other's bodies. Entranced with that made the other person feel good. It was all Idina could think about as she showed James exactly how to touch her.

With two fingers she guided his along her clit, whispering to him what to do. Taye had never listened in bed before. He believed he had been the sex God. Not that it had been bad it had been quite good. It only left her wanting. And James was fulfilling all those wants.

He moved so that he was on top of her and then he spread her legs. She lay naked before him in the cool autumn air that was blowing through an ajar window. He beat over to kiss her lips. Then he started trailing them south. Slowly. Asking her what felt good. Making it feel better than she ever could have imagined. When he reached her sex she was dripping. He fingers and rubbed her the ways she had shown him, sending her body into a never-ending wave of shakes and he teased her, not letting her come all the way. Keeping her on the edge.

His lips descended on her sex, sucking, locking, anything. Her whole body was taught and paralyzed as he teased her with his mouth. Her fingers gripped his dirty blonde hair, clawing at his scalp, telling him more, telling him to go harder and faster. Pleading with him for release.

James was not going to give it to her that easily.

He slipped a finger inside her and took a second to refocus. She felt so good and for a second he had nothing but the thought of sticking his dick inside. Idina contracted around his digit, begging him. He inserted a second finger. She moaned as he started sucking faster.

But he moved his fingers slowly. First, in a circle, until he found the right spot. Then he did the come here motion, one finger at a time, building it up slowly until he was speaking her g-spot it tandem with his kisses. Idina's hips were bucking, moving side to side. He knew exactly where she was trying to get him. He was about ready to let her have it.

"Please," she breathed. "Please James, please," she whispered over and over again. "Oh baby, please."

He smirked. He gave it to her.

She hit a new note as her entire body contracted, tightening around his fingers. He moved as quickly as he could, keeping her going until his hand was exhausted and he slowly let her wind down.

When she was laying flat on the bed, he pulled his finger out and licked them clean before kissing her one last time. Then he crawled Overton of her trembling form. She stared up at him wide-eyed, her face flushed, biting her lip, and locking eyes with him. She was ready for what was next.

James kissed her, his hips slowly descending. He trembled as Idina took his member and guided him inside. He trembled again as she gasped, a perfect seductive gasp.

He lowered himself in slowly, looking for any signs of discomfort. There were none. His lover's head rolled back, moaning in pleasure as he entered. He wasn't even in when her hips started gyrating against his uncontrollably, a firm hand on his back holding him there.

His hand went down to her clothes, rubbing it as he trusted, making her tremble and tighten around him in tandem with his motions. He threw his head back and groaned a deep throaty groan as Idina trusted against him, her softness enveloping his most delicate areas and caring for them tenderly.

He could feel himself getting close. Idina knew what she was doing. He just needed one more... she thrust against him again, pushing him closer but not quite there. And she kept doing that.

"D-dee..." he squawked, unable to get her name out.

She groaned in response. He rubbed her harder and she contracted involuntarily, sending him over the edge. Stars danced across his vision before he collapsed in a heap on her. He soon got up and kept going until she had met him on the same plane of bliss.

They spent the night exploring each other. Trying things out. Googling anything and everyone and seeing what worked. Before the night was through, they knew every inch, freckle, scar, and wrinkle on the other's body.

Grinning like an idiot, James lay down beside Idina, the both of them still trembling. She curled up in his arms, a large smile across her face. He had never met his match in bed before. Idina had matched him. She'd almost outlasted him, but he played dirty. He would pay for it at the gym tomorrow.

Brushing his hands through her chocolate-coloured hair he wondered why they had only met now.

"That was amazing," he said. "You were so good Idina, honestly."

She blushed and his her face on his chest. He could feel her burning cheeks against his bare skin. "You weren't so bad yourself," she giggled. She pulled her head back up and caressed his cheek with the back of her fingers. "I'm so glad we met. I am so glad it is not just me. I fucking glad you exist." He smiled and kissed her hand. "Imagine a world where this never happened..." she started. He loved it when she talked. And she talked and talked, her soft voice warming his room. He wondered if this would soon become their room or if hers would be. Probably hers. He bet she had the more expensive mattress.

Smiling, James listened to her ramble on and on about what if and how important the show was. How much she loved it and how this was the worst time to be playing a divorcee yet at the same time it was helping her heal. He saw the meaning of snow, how the play could help people just as much as punching a villain. Idina could make him see it. And she wants even trying. She was just being herself.

There was a reality where they weren't superheroes and weren't divorced and there were ones where they met when James was fresh out of college and others where they never did at all. But they were stuck with this one and had to make the best of it. They could never know what if. They had to believe it would turn out the way it was meant to in the end. They had to move on, press forward, live life.

James was excited to begin living it with her.