Kathryn rang the doorbell and waited, trying to balance the box of éclairs with one hand as she tried to fix her appearance. She had to change in an alley on the way to the bakery. Then she had to travel from the city to the suburb Matt had recently moved into. Matt had jumped into adulthood with both feet and it only served to make Kathryn feel worse for being such a mess.

The door opened and Matt grinned and enveloped her in a hug. She got a whiff of that spicy deodorant he'd always worn before pulling back. She handed him the box of éclairs and he led her inside the house and to the kitchen where she could get a plate of food. Matt's girlfriend, Clara, came over to greet her.

Clara was very nice but she was unforgivably pushy about setting her up with people.

“You always say you're busy but you need to get yourself out there," Clara told her. “When was the last time you went on a date? Your weekly brunches with Matt don't count."

“I told you I'm not looking for a boyfriend."

“Don't give up hope yet, Kat. You're smart and pretty. You'll find your person."

Kathryn resisted rolling her brown eyes. “I'm not bothered by it. My life is very fulfilling."

“I just think it could be better." Clara smiled encouragingly. “We're in luck tonight because Matt assured me that John is coming."

“Who?"

“John Casey," Clara clarified. “Matt's childhood best friend who happens to be very handsome and really nice…"

Matt walked into the kitchen with a tall, blond man. He was handsome in that wholesome all-American type, and Clara was clearly excited to see him.

“John, I would like you to meet Kathryn. She and Matt went to college together," Clara said enthusiastically. “Kathryn, this is John, Matt's friend from Reddnew."

He smiled at her pleasantly, and his eyes were disarmingly blue. She swallowed and mumbled out a “Hi". Clara practically dragged Matt away, citing some trouble they needed to fix urgently in another room. Clara was surprisingly strong for such a petite girl.

“And Hurricane Clara is gone," Kathryn declared dryly.

“She is a force of a nature," John agreed. “She has been telling me about the incomparable Kathryn Wilde for weeks."

Kathryn held back a groan. Trust Clara to try and oversell her before she ever met the guy.

“Whatever she told you is either an exaggeration or a flat out lie."

“I figured but I also remembered Matt mentioning you over the years." He shrugged, grinning. “For a while there I thought you two were dating."

She grimaced. “Matt is like my brother."

“I feel the same way about him. It's kind of hard not to when you've known someone since you were five."

“Does that mean you have an endless supply of embarrassing childhood stories to share?"

“Only if you share embarrassing college stories in return."

She smiled coyly at him and he returned it. He really was very handsome. He was all chiseled features and those blue, blue eyes. And she could tell that he worked out. Maybe Clara finally got one thing right for her.

Matt returned carrying a stack of dirty plates. Kathryn went over to help him load the plates into the dishwasher. She bumped into John and he grunted in pain and clutched at his abdomen.

Worried, she asked, “Are you okay?"

He grimaced but nodded. “I may have reopened my stitches. I was in a fight earlier with a criminal. I'll be fine."

That wasn't reassuring. She told him, “I have first aid training. Let me see your wound."

He tried to move out of her way but she was quicker. She pulled up his t-shirt and saw the bloody bandages at the side of his torso. He had definitely ripped his stitches.

“How did this happen?" she asked. “Did you get stabbed?"

John coughed, his face flushing in embarrassment. “I was chasing after this burglar and she stabbed me to get away."

She peeled back the gauze tape and the bloody bandages and saw the stab wound must've gone pretty deep. It was about two inches long. “She must hate you. Did she stab you with a big knife?"

“Something like that. This woman's been trouble for us for a few years now," he replied, shaking his head. “She keeps escaping. She's a sneaky one."

Sounded like someone she knew.

Kathryn bit back a smile. “Like a cat?"

He paused and stared down at her, his blue eyes narrowing. “Exactly like a cat."

She froze as realization crept slowly than dawned at her all at once. She had thought vaguely there was something familiar about this man. She glanced down at the cut on his torso and recalled stabbing him on the rooftop building with one of her knives. He had grabbed her arm tightly enough to bruise.

She subconsciously rubbed at the bruise on her arm and he noticed. He pushed back the sleeve of her sweater to see the red mark. He exhaled harshly and his blue eyes bore deeply into hers. She tried to picture that dark blue domino mask he usually wore to hide his identity and she couldn't believe she didn't see it right away.

He practically growled, “CopyKat."

She raised an eyebrow at him, refusing to be cowed by an insufferable hero. “Valiant."

A worried Matt came over and implored, “Let's just all take a deep breath and calm down."

They both turned to him accusingly and questioned, “You knew?"

“That you're a superhero and a supervillain? I'm your best friend. You both swore me to secrecy years ago," Matt sighed in exasperation. “That includes not telling either of you who the other person was. And if you really think of me as a friend, you will not fight in here and break my new house."

Kathryn turned back to John– Valiant – whatever his name was and suggested, “Outside?"

He nodded, gravely. “Outside."