“Do you want to talk about it?” Alia said softly as Stu drove the cruiser back to their apartment.

He turned down the music. “There really isn’t too much to tell. I don’t want to make you even more stressed with problems that don’t concern you. Elina has always been like that. It would’ve been really bad if we were still heroes in Charm City, but that’s in the past.”

“I don’t think she’s a bad person. She’s just really stressed out and takes it out on people.”

“Yeah, I mean she’s the total package--beautiful, strong, smart, legendary parents, great career ahead of her. I can’t think of any Super who would hesitate for a second to be with her. I’m lucky, even though I’m a nobody she thought she could make me something. The higher up noticed me because of her influence. I owe my whole career to her. Without her I would still be a student hero hoping for an apprenticeship.”

“You wouldn’t have thrived if you didn’t have it in you in the first place. I’m sure eventually someone would have seen your potential.”

Stu smirked. “No more yellow boots for now. But this is nice too, the pace is slower but not any less interesting. She’s mad because it’s a less prestigious job. Elina has been trying to get me out of the SCPD for as long as I’ve been here. She doesn’t want me to settle for less. Being a hero there’s more power and you’re not living under orders.”

“I guess I understand her perspective. Has anyone ever cheated on her before?”

Stu considered this. “I mean I don’t want to ruin your impression of me as a perfect hero.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

“You are pretty.”

“We work together and I hardly know you.”

“Then get to know me.”

“Stu--”

“Alia please.”

Alia couldn’t meet his eyes. “Don’t use me just because I’m around you a lot.”

“I like being around you a lot.”

“I haven’t even been here a week and eventually I do want to move out to get my own place. Our living situation is temporary. Also, you choose Elina so you have to clean up the mess you made with her before any girl would consider you.” In her mind, Alia replayed every time Stu had chosen Elina first. She couldn’t imagine the horror of being tabloid fodder herself again.

=//=

Chief Obi was sitting in Stu’s desk chair as both entered. Neither had gotten much sleep, but had taken pains to hide it. Alia with a thick layer of under eye concealer and Stu with a strong cup of coffee.

“How did the questioning go?” Obi asked.

Alia took out the notes she’d made the night before in one of the office issued black notebooks. “She has some trouble remembering events which is mostly liked due to emotional trauma. Mrs. Fear is still fairly unstable in terms of her undesirable power triggering. She did say some things of interest including that her daughter had bruises, there was a man, and that she didn’t mean to harm her deceased child.”

“Excellent. Concise, good summary.”

Stu added. “She also brought up a book about bunnies that Dura liked.”

The chief stroked his moustache. “My daughter when she was Dura’s age liked Little Bunny Girl, which might be worth looking into. But the reason why I’m here is we got more evidence from the caller who dispatched the police. Well the call itself is this that a man who refused to identify himself called at 11:16 pm to report that a mother and child had fallen out of a glass window. He also added that he saw the trail of what he thought was a Speeder non-Super leaving the premises.” Obi cleared his throat.

Stu whispered an explanation quicked to Alia who had been adding this information to her notes. “A speeder is a Super who can move really fast. The non-Super designation implies that the person was just faster than average.”

“Is there a minimum speed need to be considered a Super?”

Stu nodded.

“Sheeh, Supers have so many rules.”

Obi continued. “Then from the forensic team we found that the rented room had been forced into and a VCR had been stolen. The apartment was ransacked as well.”

Alia clicked her pen as she finished writing. She closed her notebook and turned to Stu. “All we have to do now is find the man who hit the daughter right?”

Stu smirked. “Maybe.”