Rex sat on the couch, elbows on his knees, his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose. His eyes were bloodshot and heavy with exhaustion as he glanced at the figure beside him. "This is not going anywhere," he muttered with a sigh of frustration.
Across from him, standing with arms folded and an amused expression on his face, Ashborn responded coolly, "Look at the upside. Now if someone tries to bully her, she only needs to smile instead of making them go insane."
Rex turned and gave him a tired side glance, unimpressed. "Be serious. She needs to be able to mingle among her peers."
Across from them, sitting perfectly upright, was Ace.
She had been practicing how to smile.
For the last hour.
And the result… was unsettling. Her lips stretched in a mechanical curve, eyes wide and unblinking, the smile so stiff and forced that it looked less like joy and more like the prelude to a horror movie murder scene.
Ashborn tilted his head, thoughtful. "Okay, yeah, that's not quite it…" He rubbed his chin, then suddenly said, "We get her a friend then. Someone to help."
Ace's murderous grin vanished immediately. "I will be fine alone," she said firmly, her tone as flat as her expression.
Ashborn met her gaze. "The whole idea of sending you to school is to experience life. If you remain alone, then what's the difference between that and what you've already lived through?"
Ace's brows twitched slightly, but she said nothing. Her fingers fiddled with the hem of her black sleeve, unsure.
Ashborn stood and leaned back, his eyes drifting toward the ceiling for a few quiet seconds. Then, with a small smirk curling his lips, he turned to Rex.
"Register Ace at Blue Valley High School."
Rex blinked. "Blue Valley? That's not even the best school in Metropolis… and it's definitely not the closest."
Ashborn grinned. "But it is where Ace's first friend is going to be."
Rex looked more confused than before. Meanwhile, Ace tilted her head.
"Who is going to be my first friend?" she asked.
Ashborn's grin widened just a touch more. "An ex-supervillain's friend can only be a superhero."
___________
Sometime later, on the quiet outer edge of Metropolis, a small house sat tucked between tall trees and modest gardens. Inside, in the guest room, Ashborn and Ace sat on one side of the living room couch. Across from them sat Courtney Whitemore, Barbara Whitmore and Pat Dugan.
Pat's expression was unreadable, but tense. Barbara offered a polite, if cautious, smile. While Courtney looked at them with narrowed eyes.
Ashborn gave them a nod of gratitude. "Thank you for agreeing to meet with us," he said. "I know this might be sudden, but I'm actually here looking for Courtney."
"Me? Why?" Courtney asked with a frown.
Barbara's polite smile faltered.
Pat's eyes narrowed. "Why are you looking for Courtney?" he asked, suspicion lining every word.
Ashborn didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned and gestured to the quiet unblinking girl at his side. "This is my recently adopted daughter, Ace. I'm planning to enroll her in school."
He waited a beat before continuing.
"She's… not very good at expressing herself. So I thought perhaps I'd ask for help. Specifically, Courtney's help."
Barbara's eyes widened slightly. Pat's brow furrowed deeper.
"I am not helping you or her" Courtney answered with narrowed eyes.
Ashborn's smile didn't falter as he continued calmly "Ace's registration in Blue Valley High School is already in progress, and she'll be starting soon. I was hoping you could be her guide, her friend, and to help her adjust."
For a moment, no one spoke.
Barbara and Pat exchanged a glance. They knew who Ashborn was. Everyone did. His name had been whispered across headlines ever since the League's confrontation with him and Batman's public trial.
Pat, his voice cautious and guarded, finally said ignoring the fuming Courtney, "You've got a lot of history with the Justice League. With us. Why would you come here? why would you ask her for help?"
It was a fair question. After all, this wasn't just unexpected, it was almost surreal.
Ashborn leaned forward slightly, his tone calm but certain.
"Because a hero is the best friend of a villain, especially an ex-villain… or because I want the best for my daughter. Choose the answer you like"
Ace, sitting silently beside him, glanced up with something that almost looked like curiosity… or maybe hope.
Barbara and Pat didn't respond right away.
"Don't bother, I am not going to help her and that's final" Courtney folded her hands in complete refusal.
If Ashborn was upset by Courtney's blunt rejection, or even mildly disappointed, he didn't show a single flicker of it. That same calm, unreadable smile stayed perfectly in place as he said, "I guess I'll just have to pay the medical bills when the students at your school start going insane."
Barbara's eyes widened slightly, and Pat straightened in his seat, his jaw tightening. Ashborn, however, didn't give them the chance to respond. He gestured to the silent girl beside him. "She has quite the glass heart," he said lightly. "And things can spiral out of proportion quickly."
That made the air shift.
The atmosphere in the room, already tense, turned colder. Barbara's smile vanished entirely, Pat's hand twitched like he wanted to reach for something, and Courtney's arms tightened across her chest. But Ashborn? He was entirely unbothered. He rose smoothly to his feet and turned to Ace.
"When leaving someone else's house, we thank them for their hospitality… with a smile."
Ace stared at him for a long second before standing and facing the trio. She tilted her head ever so slightly… and smiled.
The effect was immediate and bone-deep. Barbara's back stiffened. Pat blinked in alarm. Courtney's expression froze. If they hadn't heard what Ashborn said earlier, they would've believed Ace's twisted grin was the opening act to a horror show, a threat in the form of polite etiquette. There was nothing warm in it, just eerie unblinking eyes and a chilling grinning expression. A horrifying sight to say the least.
As Ashborn and Ace stepped toward the door, Courtney suddenly spoke behind them.
"Wait."
They stopped.
"I'll stay with her," Courtney said, her tone sharp, her fists clenched. "I'll keep her out of trouble as much as I can. That's it. I'm not going to be her friend."
Ashborn turned halfway, still wearing the same pleasant smile. "As expected of a noble hero," he said with a small bow of his head. "Your heart's in the right place. I'll leave Ace in your care then."
And with that, he walked out, Ace trailing silently behind him.
Once the door closed, Courtney turned on her heels with a face full of anger. "Can you believe the audacity of that guy? He basically used my school as leverage! I should've blasted him a few days ago when I had the chance!"
Pat let out a heavy sigh and nodded. "You're not wrong. Be careful around him, and especially around her. That girl… Ace… she's dangerous. Her powers aren't a joke. We should inform the League. Maybe they'll have a better idea of what we're dealing with."
Outside, Ashborn and Ace stepped into his sleek black car, the engine already humming softly as they pulled away from the house.
"Not bad, we got you a potential new friend," Ashborn said as he steered them into the quiet evening road.
Ace, arms rested on her legs and staring ahead unblinkingly, corrected him. "You blackmailed her. She doesn't want to be my friend."
Ashborn replied with a smile. "People become friends because of all kinds of things like circumstances, benefits, shared goals. Sometimes, just spending enough time together and making memories is enough. Courtney's angry and she hates me, not you. That may change over time. It all depends on how sincere you are and the experiences you two end up sharing."
Ace glanced out the window, her eyes flicking to her reflection, thoughtful.
"What if she still wants nothing to do with me?" she asked quietly.
"Then that's just life," Ashborn replied. "Friends or enemies, they're part of the social life we lead. Regardless of the outcome, you'll have lived through something new. Something normal."
There was silence in the car for a moment.
Then Ace looked over at him and smiled.
It wasn't perfect. Not even close. But it wasn't terrifying either. It was awkward, a little crooked, but… it was hers. And she was trying.
"Thank you," she said softly.
Ashborn returned her smile. "You're welcome. And by the way, your smiling skill is improving. You might soon be able to smile without scaring Grandpa Rex."
Ace nodded slowly, her fingers brushing the edge of her sleeve.
One small, shaky step toward a normal life.