"Because you and I are destined to do this for eternity!" The cackling woman shrieked from nearby, where she flickered about in the air, localized teleporter crackling and shooting off chain lightening that Lady Starlight had to duck and dodge, "We're rivals! I'm your Nemesis, Lady Starlight, and I will destroy you!!"

Lady Starlight, Nancy, grimaced as a lightening bolt crackled past mere inches from her face and took stock of her situation. She had arrived amidst a battle already well underway. The core League members were busy combatting the large monstrosity that had been summoned near the coastline, some Cthulhu-esque nameless horror that had sent thousands careening down into madness. Some League members were evacuating civilians, most were fighting the monster...and here she was stuck with this lunatic.

Doctor Katerina Perun, late of the cutting edge of the academic track on all things science, had managed to invent a half dozen instruments that could have been utilized to substantively improve the average citizens life. Instead, the maniac had decided to pursue a life of supervillainy, helped along by the cult like following she had created. It was rather easy for her, she was a golden haired, statuesque goddess of a woman, with the sharp cheekbones and sharper tongue from her Slavic forebears. Just at the moment she had decided to use the distraction of the Coastal Summoning to launch a considerable assault on the municipal systems. Members of her cult had attacked the four main bank headquarters, city hall, and several of the civil defence shelters. But Lady Starlight had had to leave off in pursuing those fanatics.

For it had all been a trick.

Doctor Katerina Perun, or as she preferred to style herself, Star Phoenix for reasons that Nancy still hadn't been able to suss out, had been determined to protect herself against any attacks by the League. So she had herself attacked the university labs, where much cutting edge government research had been farmed out on contract.

And where Nancy's boyfriend Alex happened to be wandering by at the precise moment Star Phoenix had teleported into the place and begun her villainous work. Alex was by this point rather infamous in the villain community as the quasi-public boyfriend of the famed Lady Starlight. As one of the more powerful yet still younger members of the League, Starlight was seen as someone who could be suborned. Who could be pressured by getting to her loved ones, yet without the proven track record of utterly destroying those who messed with her family. And so Alex had found himself kidnapped and taken over and over and over...and somehow come out the other side with not a dent in his innocent goody-two shoes view of the world...apart from a healthy love and fandom for one Lady Starlight.

Nancy had genuinely struggled with deciding to actually date him, and it had been far from a sure thing. She was too terrified of being responsible for something happening to him...and so when she realized that he had been taken by Star Phoenix. When she realized that Alex had been snatched up by some of her thugs, wrenched into tight ropes, and then carried off along with several other students and some of the more brilliant professors. For Star Phoenix intended to set up her own captive research capacity...and with some other hostages to deter superhero rescue.

And Lady Starlight just wasn't having it.

More lightning coursed passed her and she dove in towards the cackling villainess, who squawked in outrage and had to teleport quickly to one side...which was when Lady Starlight reversed direction just as suddenly, and her foot sliced through one of the hoses connecting the teleporter apparatus together.

"Noooooo!" Katerina shrieked, more vile epithets spilling from her mouth in at least three different languages as she plummeted towards the earth. At the last moment she vanished, reappearing near the end of the small group of her cultists and brandished a rather sleek looking firearm and pointed it squarely at Alex's head. Nancy's mouth and guts twisted at the look of terror mixed with Alex's happy grin at seeing her. They had been supposed to be going for a bloody picnic!!

She growled in outrage at how this bitch had interrupted what had been looking like their first real date in almost two weeks...and suddenly streaked forward. Katerina turned her weapon towards her, clearly the thing was meant more for superheroines than mere mortals...yet Starlight hadn't meant to hit her. Or Alex.

She could play tricks too.

Instead the warping forward effect juddered to a sudden halt only a few meters later...just as Night Ranger dropped from above, squarely onto Katerina's back and drove her to the floor.

"MMMPpaagagggaaaaah!!" the villainess cried out, but Night Ranger was already moving. Rapidly disarming her and ripping her apparatus off, before the heavy duty cuffs that the League mandated to be used on supervillains were snapped into place. Her foul cursing silenced with a specially crafted gag that bulged around her still enraged yet mercifully muffled diatribe.

Nancy stepped past the squirming pile as Night Ranger continued to further secure their prisoner. She looked forward to the interrogation when she could put some pointed questions to the woman. It was high time she got a better sense of just how many evil villains knew about Alex in some capacity. But for now...for now...

Alex squeaked as she swept him into her arms, dipping him and planting a deep kiss on his still gagged lips, "We really need to stop meeting like this...at least before our dates." she murmured into his ear. He blushed, God how she adored how his face lit up when he squirmed like that, and then nodded and grunted into his gag hopefully. "Sorry hun, but the League is still fighting that thing out by the waterline. Can't take a break just yet, especially since this idiot's crew are still wreaking havoc all over town."

She drew back slightly although still holding him possessively tight as she looked into his eyes. He was one of the few normal humans who knew who she was truly, knew that Nancy lived behind Lady Starlight's eyes. And he loved them both...which was not something Nancy had been expecting to encounter after years of superhero work...nor had she expected just how fiercely she returned that sentiment. Which only served to reinforce how vulnerable she felt Alex to be...and how frustrated she was at his seeming inability to avoid danger...lovable though he remained.

"Are you going to be good to get home if I untie you?"

Alex nodded brightly, mumbling animatedly into his gag. Nancy peeled the tape off, and Alex spat out what turned out to be a rather large sponge before he cleared his throat, "No worries. I hadn't started cooking yet, but I can head home and make you a lasagna." He grinned up at her, earnest affection and delight in his eyes as he squirmed in her arms, "What do you figure? Continent destroying monster running amok...so home by six?"

Nancy giggled despite herself, looking around as the police began to finally move in to subdue the remaining cultists in the area, "Better make it seven. You know how the Captain likes to debrief at League headquarters."

"But then you'll be off duty?"

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances..." she paused, "Or foreseen circumstances. Are you sure you can make it back alright?"

"C'mon," he squirmed in the ropes, "I'm positive. You've got a city to save."

Nancy cut him loose, massaging his arms and then giving him another fierce hug, "I mean it Alex. Be safe. This city is a madhouse today." Then she stepped back, but he moved forward to plant a kiss on her cheek. She grinned at him, winked, and then soared into the air, off to do battle with nefarious evil once more.

As for Alex, he entirely meant to head home immediately, and that's what he started to do. But as it turned out, other people had tricks to play that day too.

For the cab he flagged down to drive him home was captained by none other than the dastardly and mischevious Snakebite, who had taken the cab when she had knocked over two jewelry stores, and was driving away to stash her stolen booty. When she saw who it was who was flagging her down, she figured she might as well mix a little pleasure with business.

And so in less than a minute Alex was drowsing in the backseat, safely under the hypnotic commands imposed upon him by Snakebite and her tattoos. He was once more firmly trussed up in rope, strictly hogtied, and with a ballgag rammed into his mouth with a motif of a snake curled around the word SLUT in red lettering. He was still clothed, because Snakebite was many things but she didn't want to piss off Starlight tooooo much. Just enough to tweak her nose and remind her that whatever others might claim...Snakebite was her true rival.

Alex would be safe enough from the other nefarious elements up in arms throughout the city. Snakebite would take him back to his own apartment, and pretty him up. Leave him as a nice gift wrapped present for Lady Starlight. A small peace offering of sorts, even if delivered under such circumstances, that would hopefully waylay the do-gooder from an immediate pursuit...and thus give her enough time to fence her stolen goods and get out of town for a bit.

She still had the cute cabbie back at her place after all, and there were no end of games she could play with her while the heat died down. Though Snakebite was rather keen to be back in time for Halloween. Beyond whatever spooky and eldritch things might be happening...she kinda wanted to pay Alex a bit of a visit...and what better way to wander around openly than to pretend she was merely wearing a costume...