WORD COUNT: 2902.

It is set after my first Psiturn os, but can be read on its own, just know that Imra is the new leader of the LOSH and she recruited Psi and now they’re dating.

Psi stomped her way into the main room of the Legion ship.

“It’s fine, we got him anyway.” “I don’t understand, my powers have never failed before.” “Psi, don’t worry! I’m sure there’s nothing wrong with you.”

“What happened?” Brainy entered the room, confused by the loud chatting of the two women in front of him. “I should’ve hit Evillo with my powers, I had him right in front of me, but..I couldn’t do anything. Brainy, can you run one of your calculations on me?” “No, Brainy, there’s no need to do anything. She’s fine.” Imra interjected, hiding her worry under a careless tone: it was true, her powers had never failed before. “I assume this is one of those, mmh, couple disagreements. I’m going to exit this conversation.”

“Okay, do you want to train?” “What for? Just to see my powers flop again?” “Babe..” Imra sat down next to her girlfriend. “It can happen. Please, don’t frown, I don’t want to see you so unhappy.” “I was just thinking..” “About what?” “How it’d be to have a life without any superpower…How I’d feel being human again.” “It’s not any different from being a metahuman or an alien.” “If I lost my powers, I wouldn’t have a place here anymore; I wouldn’t be in the Legion anymore..I would lose you, too.” “Hey, hey, no; you’re not gonna lose me, ever. Okay?” The brunette caressed her cheeks, as she was still looking down at her hands, trying to console her. Psi and Imra kissed, their hearts always beating loud like it was the first time: “thank you.” She breathed out, “for what?” Imra smiled back at her. “For staying.” “Always.” They rested their foreheads on one another, “Listen, if you want, I can call my sister to check you and your mind, would that make you feel better?” “Yes, thank you so much.”

Prya Ardeen looked a lot like her younger sibiling, except for her blonde wavy hair. Unlike her sister, she had the power of telepathy and shielding minds: she was four years older than Imra and they were extremely close, especially after she fought so hard against everything and everyone to have her back. “But.. for the rest of the day, I think you should rest. Let’s go home.” “I’ll rest only if you’re there to cuddle me.” Imra looked into Psi’s pleading eyes, she knew well that she barely took days off since she had become the leader of the Legion of Superheroes. “Okay, I’ll guess they’ll survive one day without their leader.” “Oh, of course.” They laughed and joined hands, ready to cuddle their day away.

As promised, they snuggled the entire night and the next morning, Prya joined them on the ship: “Hello girls, how can I help you?” Before Imra even opened her mouth, Psi explained what had happened again: “Okay, have you tried using them again?” “Your sister suggested I should’ve rested for a while, so no.” “Okay, let’s go to the training room, I have an idea.”

The three women stood separately, Psi on one side of the room, Imra and Prya on the other: “Try to hit my sister, I’ll be shielding her, but if your powers hit the shield I will feel it, so you can know if your powers are fine again or not.” Prya ordered. “I- I don’t think it’s a good idea.” “Psi, you won’t hurt me.” “Prya, I know how strong you are, but just the thought of attacking her…” “She is my little sister, Psi. I know exactly how you feel, I’ve felt it for my entire life: I would never put Imra in a dangerous position if I didn’t know she was safe.” Psi’s worries were far from gone, quite the opposite, but she nodded anyway. “Okay. Let’s do it.” Imra stood in the middle, Prya slowly built a psychic shield around her sister and gave the other woman in the room the green light for the attack. Psi felt her powers working again and Prya felt it as well: “That’s enough, you’re okay.” Psi was so relieved to know that she didn’t suddenly lose her abilities, “thank you so much.” “I’m glad I could help. You know, when you’re sad, my sister gets sad as well and..that’s not a really pleasant feeling for a big sister.” “You’re the best.” The brunette hugged her, feeling a new wave of relief as well.

 Later that day, the couple laid in bed, Psi had a notebook in her hands and looked like she was scribbling or sketching something: “what are you doing?” “Nothing.” “Mmh, sure.” “I’m drawing.” “I didn’t know you could draw.” Imra sat closer to her, trying to take a little peek at her work. “Because I don’t do it often. I haven’t done it in a couple of years, actually.” “Because you don’t have the time? Or you don’t like it as much anymore?” “No, because I only draw when..when I feel happy. And the happy moments in my life were really rare and brief, so in that sense you can say I didn’t have the time to do it.” “You’re happy because you have your powers?” “No,  I’m happy because I have you, Matilda.” Her blue eyes pierced into her green eyes, she had never been so honest and open to someone before Imra, but how could she deceive those beautiful green eyes?

“I love you.” Imra blurted it out of nowhere, but she couldn’t keep it in anymore: one of the first things they taught each other, was to do everything without any regret and she was completely sure she wasn’t ever going to regret these words to her. “I- I love you, too. So much.” Psi took her in her arms, drinking in her smell, taking that moment and trying to keep all the feelings she was feeling clear in her mind, so she would never forget how it feels to be in love, and be loved in return.

But then, they got called by the Legion who needed their help: one of their latest enemies escaped prison and they had to catch her again. Emerald Empress’ powers came from the Eye of Ekron, which Psi had hidden after the Legion managed to have her arrested, that meant she didn’t have any powers now, but it was sure that she would’ve come for the ex-villain soon. When the group of superheroes reunited, they planned a very simple scheme: if the Empress had just human abilities now, it would’ve been easy to capture her. Imra decided to go after her with Ultra Boy and Ferro Lad, trying to keep Psi away from danger: they looked for her everywhere but couldn’t find her, until they went into the building where she used to work years earlier. “Well, finally, you’re here.” She said with a very calm tone, sitting down on a spinning chair. “There’s no need to hit me or knock me out unconscious, I just needed to take a walk. I didn’t like that prison much. And..without the Eye, I’m getting weaker minute after minute.”

Ultra Boy and Ferro Lad approached the woman, but she pulled out a laser gun and pointed it against her head. “I have nothing left that keeps me alive anymore. I should probably get this over with.” “No!” Imra yelled, “Please, don’t do it.” “Why? Why shouldn’t I? I’m going to die soon anyway. What’s the world without one more bad girl? It’s better.” “I’m not letting you do this.” She stepped forward, “You can get better.” “I won’t, trust me.” Emerald Empress sounded tired, panting at every pause, slightly trembling. The gun was still near her temple. “Just one question: why do you want to capture me again? You know I don’t have powers without the Eye of Ekron.” “We swore to protect the people from any harm, and that means both them from you and you, from them. Everyone would be safer this way.”

Her eyes got a sudden clearance, like she just realized something she had never thought about before. “Then I should probably let you arrest me.” Imra took out the handcuffs, but in a split second, the Empress made them fall down with a punch and got Imra in a chokehold, the gun was now pointed at her temple. “Uh-uh, boys. Don’t move, or your pretty little friend gets her brain splashed out. I might not have powers, but a gun like this is useful for anyone. Iron gets melted by heat, right, Ferro Lad? Ultra Boy, whatever you’re planning to do, just don’t, I’m just one click away from what I need.” “What do you need?” “The Eye of Ekron, obviously. I think your other friend knows where it is.” “Don’t you dare- don’t call her.” Imra stuttered, the thought of Psi being involved in this made her blood freeze. “Even if he wanted, he wouldn’t be able to- there’s no signal of any sort around this block. But..I’m sure she’ll figure out something to find you, sweetheart.”

 Psi kept pacing around the room, she could sense that something wasn’t right and she knew she had to do something, but couldn’t let the others know: she sneaked out, not exactly sure on what to do, but she had to find her lover. First of all, she asked the agents that guarded her cell some information about where the Empress used to live, work, or just hang out; when they spelled out the address of her work place, she recognized that area and remembered that it had been abandoned years earlier. Psi connected the dots and figured out that there was no way for the earpieces her teammates wore to function in that block: they were definitely there.

The dread grew at every step she took, unsure of what she would’ve found once she got there, Psi had never been so scared. Gayle had never been so scared. “Oh, your princess charming is here.” Emerald Empress spitted as Psi took her first step into the room, and immediately stopped in her tracks seeing a gun at her girlfriend’s head, “Don’t worry, it will all be over soon: you just give me the Eye, and I’ll give you your girlfriend back.” “Psi, d-don’t do it, she’ll hurt everyone.” “Shut up, the decision is up to her: I’m sure she’d prefer having you alive, rather than anyone else.”

Psi was so frightened and confused, was she willing to ignore everything Imra and the Legion taught her just to save her? She stood there in silence, her hands shaking like never before, her eyes were icy, she couldn’t stop thinking about how much she wanted to hurt the Empress, she wanted to kill her for hurting the love of her life. It was like a spark got ignited inside of her guts, a fire was raging throughout her entire body, Psi knew that in a few instants her powers were going to strike, but she had never felt this much anger going through her veins and she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to control it: she was afraid she was going to hurt Imra, again.

Psi gazed at the Empress once again, Imra was shaking too: she felt the blast leaving her body along with a loud scream, there was no going back now. Imra was bracing herself to get hit like that one time almost a year earlier, when she realized that the psychic powers of her girlfriend didn’t even touch her, somehow: the same thing couldn’t be said for Emerald Empress, who immediately dropped to her knees and let her gun fall down, before raising her hands to hold her head; the three unaffected Legionnaires reacted quickly, handcuffing the Empress while she was still shaken up by whatever vision Psi’s powers had brought up. She ran to Imra to embrace her, “Are you okay? I was so worried, I-” she moved her brunette hair out of her face, hoping that she didn’t have to face her biggest fear once again. “I’m okay, Psi. You didn’t hurt me.” “I didn’t? How is that possible? You were right in front of the Empress, how did it not hit you?” “I don’t know, but it’s a good thing, right?” “Yeah, it is.” Psi held Imra even tighter than before and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Let’s go.” Ferro Lad had to interrupt their sweet moment, but there was a prisoner to take into custody. “You go home, I have to do something first.” “Psi?” “Don’t worry, I’ll be quick.” “Okay.” Imra kissed her knuckles and followed the other boys, back to the headquarters.

 Psi walked to what seemed to be an abandoned theme park, and got into one of the last standing buildings: there was a box in there, containing the Eye of Ekron. She took out of her pocket that same laser gun that was pointed at her girlfriend’s temple, just minutes before that, and shot the box repeatedly, until everything inside had turned into dust. At the same time, Emerald Empress crumbled like sand and disappeared out of thin air: all the Legionnaires figured out what happened.

Prya rushed to Imra after finding out what her sister had been through: “I’m so happy you’re okay, you’re not even scratched, are you?” “No, no, I’m perfectly fine..thanks to Psi, even if I still don’t know how.” “What do you mean?” “The Empress was holding me hostage, I was literally in front of her: Psi’s powers got to her but not to me. Isn’t that strange?” “Maybe, but at least you’re safe. Where is she know?” “Considering that Emerald Empress just turned to dust, I’m pretty sure she went to destroy the Eye of Ekron that was keeping her alive.” “I would’ve done the same.. she must be really angry at that woman for threatening your life.” Imra smiled, grateful to have these two wonderful women in her life, who would do anything to protect her: her sister and her girlfriend. “You destroyed the Eye?” “Why, are you mad about it?” “No, no, I just wanted to know why, since she was going to die anyway, very soon.” “Well, let’s just say that..seeing you in that position, so scared and vulnerable, it took its toll on me: I just needed some sort of scapegoat, some way to take all my anger out on one thing.” Psi looked down at Imra, she almost looked like she wanted approval for what she’d done, afraid that she would be upset for it. “Thank you for protecting me.” “I will always protect you, Imra. Always.”

“Psi, can you come here for a second?” Prya called, as Brainy was standing right next to her. “Yes, what’s wrong?” “Nothing, I just explained what happened to Brainy, in regards of your powers not affecting my sister and he is pretty sure of this theory..” “I’m 98,7% certain that you’ve been able to channel all your negative emotions into one person in particular, so the other people surrounding the Empress weren’t blasted by your powers. I don’t know if you know, but your psychic abilities are fueled by your deepest feelings, the ones that seem easier to bury, like rage and sadness.” “That explains the failure of the other day..” “What?” “My powers didn’t work on Evillo because I felt happy, for once. I was at peace with my life. But does that mean that I can’t ever be happy, if I want to have my powers?” “No, no, that’s not it: you can still have your powers, you can channel them like you did today, use the affection and the love you have for Imra, and I hope also for the rest of the world, to protect them.” “Oh.” Prya interjected, “So, now that you know more about the source of your powers, you can use this information to use them even better.” “Thank you again, for helping me figure all of this out.” “No problem.” Prya patted her back.

 It was night time, and Psi and Imra were having a sleepy conversation, with their eyes almost closing: “I was scared as much as you were, today. I was terrified.” “I know, I could see it in your eyes.” “Were you afraid that I was going to hit you again?”

Imra opened her eyes, now fully staring at Psi in front of her, “Yes, but not because I don’t trust you, but because before today, even you know that, you’ve never sent your blast to one person in particular.” “I get it..” she sighed and moved one strand of hair away from her face, “Can I ask you something? You can also not reply at all.” “Tell me.” “Months ago, you told me that when I hit you during the Fort Rozz mission, you saw your sister dying; now that Prya is here, what would be your biggest fear?” There was no doubt in Imra’s mind, “Losing you.” Psi was completely flabbergasted, “Are..are you serious?” “100%. I’ve never loved someone as much as I love you, Gayle.” “If today wasn’t a big enough proof of it, I would do anything for you, Matilda.”