House of the Rising Sun
House of the Rising Sun
Author: Robertsmithseeker
Disclaimer: If I owned them comics would be more fun to read
Feedback: I love it just try to be constructive bout it
Spoilers: This is an AU fic set five years after the I can't believe it's not the justice League
I'm discounting anything after that unless I want to included it
The old juke box in the corner was playing House of the Rising Sun, the open sign was Flipped to closed, and all the chairs were placed on the table tops. In the dim closing lighting of the Darkside a lone man sat at the bar, a bottle of Bourbon and half filled glass Set in front of him. As the haunting melody drifted though the bar a weathered hand stretched out to grasp the half full glass heedless of the condensation gathering on the smooth surface. Wrapped Around the ring finger of the reaching hand was a barely visible energy band. The band seemed to be alive pulsing and shimmering as the glass was raised to the world weary lips of the bars sole occupant and owner.
Only after the glass was emptied, refilled then returned to its original position did the weary man look down to his finger. Guy Gardner was many things to many different people, but tonight locked away behind closed doors he was a student of irony. The irony of the single yellow band seemed to hit him hardest on the anniversary of her death. He had wanted to marry her it was the only thing in his life he had ever been sure of. His beautiful Tora, she had looked though all of the walls he put up to keep anyone from seeing who he truly was. With a care that seemed to belie the roughness of the man and the place he lifted a small sculpture that appeared to be crystal.
The image was one that always seemed to force conflicting emotions to the surface. Love mixed with anger and rage, it always felt as if a snake was trying to gnaw its way Out of his stomach when he looked at the small crystalline sculpture. Yet even with The pain it brought he still couldn't throw it away, or even hide it so he wouldn't have to look upon it. It was like an open wound in his soul that he poured salt into just to feel like he was still alive.
For years he had been sure that he couldn't love or be loved. But he figured that that was more about how he was raised than who he was as a person. Hell he even tried to go though the motion, been engaged even. But he hadn't felt the burning fire of passion that all the poets went on about. Well at least until he had met her, then his heart had stopped and he knew what love was.
She had died saving the world, and it nearly killed him when he found out from a news report. It wasn't just because she had died, though that had hurt. It was because the ones he though of as hero's hadn't even bothered to tell him. His anger had consumed him and he let it all pour out on to them.
Sometimes in the dark of the night when all the lights were out and he lay cocooned in his blankets he would admit the truth of that day. He had wanted them to kill him, because he couldn't do it himself. He let all his anger pour into him and in his rage laid them to waste. They couldn't hurt him but he could hurt them and he did. He single handedly took out the justice league with out restraint or remorse. Then Wonder Woman had arrived and proceeded to do the one thing he never expected, she had hugged him and that was enough.
On days like these he wasn't sure if he wanted to thank her for stopping him or curse her for the same. As he raised his glass to his lips and swallowed feeling the burn as the alcohol raced downward towards the empty feeling in his chest where he imagined His soul should be. With a wry grin he realized that no matter how much he drank it would never be enough to fill the ach within him, or to make him forget about it.
As he refilled his glass he felt a breeze ruffle the back of his shirt. In a practiced move He reached over the counter and grabbed a second glass and filled it with ice. With out even looking up he filled it and set the glass in front of the stool next to him. "Been a long time kid, though you forgot bout your old friends." With a small smile on her face Mary seated herself next to Guy at the bar. "I could never forget about you Mr. Gardner You're the only one that still talks to me." With a chuckle the former Green Lantern shot back "Kid how many times do I have ta tell you to call me Guy. You make me feel old with all this Mr. Gardner business."
They both laughed at that, it was a long running joke between the two of them. As the Laughter died down Guy thought back to how this slightly odd friendship had started. They had first met under less then ideal circumstances. To be truthful he had been kinda of a dick to her, but in his defense it wasn't anything to do with her he had been trying to get under Bea's skin. He knew his was out of line so he had apologized for it, hell the look of shock on Maxwell Lord's face had been worth swallowing his pride and doing the right thing .He didn't apologize he was Guy Gardner but in the end he had sucked It up and did what he needed to do. Looking back he was glad he had, with that one Little action he found what he hadn't know he needed.
The resulting trip though hell had almost broke him, to be so close to having Tora with him again and losing in because of Bea. He had had to fight with all the control he had not to attack Bea right their, instead he had cried as he held Bea. As much as he disliked Bea he knew she was the only one who felt even close to what he had for Tora. After they pulled themselves back together he stood up dusted himself of and soldiered on. He kept up the trademark crash comments though the whole ordeal knowing he couldn't let the Super Buddies see him as weak. Oddly enough the only one who seemed to see though it was Mary, it shocked him he expected Bea at least to see how close he was to losing it.
He had almost lost himself when they had finally returned home the only thing that had kept him together was Mary. She had walked into his bar and hugged him. He had broken then he cried so many tears him though they'd be washed away by them. The whole time she just held him as he cried for love lost, for the family that saw him as just an after though. She held him as he cried for the pain of always being second best and never being able to hold onto the good. She had been the rock that he held to as he let out Years of pain and grief.
After that she became a regular visitor to his bar, not that he minded in the least. It was just nice to have someone around who generally seemed to care about him. Over the years he seemed to adjust to having someone around who liked to talk to him. It was quite a change from only having people come to see him when they needed his help. Over time she had broken though his shell and become his friend. He had even let her have her birthday party at his bar a few years back, he highly disliked some of the super buddies but he had put up with them for her.
The part he enjoyed the most was the fact that she never tried to change him, usually that was the first thing anyone tried to do was change him. She didn't just calmly accepted him for who he was even if sometimes he was a rude, mean, callous bastard With no regard for himself or anyone else.
Even the times when he tried to change her, for her own good of course. She sat serenely though an hour long lecture about how she was to trusting and good to be Out after dark. When he was done with his lecture she calmly walked up to him kissed him on the cheek and replied with "thank you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine."
After she had received the Black Adam powers the rest of the super hero community had turned their backs on her. Not Guy he stood by her the whole way and took the bumps for it, but he had been their before so he knew what she was going through.
He remembered the distrust when he had first acquired Sinestro's power ring to replace his when the Corp striped him of it. He also knew what it was to stand in the shadow of a legend, trying to make a name for ones self while constantly trying to be seen as a person not just a replacement.
He had held her when she came to him crying because of her asshole brother; imagine a man telling his own flesh and blood to choose between finding her own way and her Family. After she'd cried herself out he got her situated in his apartment above the bar.
He had gone to have a talk with the big red cheese, well the bruise healed after a couple of days and Mary got her apology. Of course Mary wasn't to happy bout the whole Affair he could have probably gotten away with the black eye but the news coverage Kinda screwed him.
She was waiting for him as soon as he opened the door arms crossed scowling at him when he had asked her why she simply pointed at the T.V. and CNN's reruns of the Fight. Of course she softened considerably when she saw the shape he was in. She grabbed His wrist and drug him into the bathroom and proceeded to patch up his various cuts and bruises while reading him the riot acted for getting in to a Fist fight with her brother and destroying several city blocks. It didn't seem to matterTo her that that was the way he dealt with problems, it's just the way he was. When she was done she kissed him on the cheek and thanked him.
After that she always seemed to be hanging round, so he had taken upon himself to teach her the ways of the world. He just hoped he had taught her enough so she wouldn't make the same mistakes he had. She was his hope for the future if she could makegood and be happy than maybe all the pain he had been though was worth it.
"You were thinking about her again weren't you?" The innocent question broke him from his memories with a start. "Course I am kid, always do this time of year." Came thegruff reply from the former Green Lantern. "Hell, kid I'll love her till the day I die, that's the god's honest truth. Don't mean I'll never love anyone else, just mean's she'll always have a place in this old beat up heart."
"What about me Guy, could you ever love me like that?" The earnest question caught Him at a lose of what to say, so in true Gardner style he spoke his mind with out thinking. "Damn kid I do care bout you, hell your one of the few people left on the miserable piece of rock I'd help with no questions asked. And as hard as it is to say it you're my best friend kid, and I'm gonna do my damndest to make sure you're safe and happy. And that means you need to find some nice college boy with a degree to treat you right. Make sure he buy's a nice little house in the burbs so you can settle down and live a safe happy life."
"But that's not what I want, I want you. I want someone who wants to protect me, someone to watch my back not tell me to stay home and mind the kids. Some one who's my best friend, some one who won't ever judge me? I want you damnit." She raged with A fury that only the truly passionate, or truly insane can understand.
"Well you deserve some one a whole hell of a lot better than some washed up, two bit former b-list hero who no one remembers let alone cares about. I love you but you deserve someone who will treat you like a queen and make sure you have everything. Some one who can show you the world. Someone who's baggage couldn't sink the Titanic some one perfect just like you. Someone sweet and caring who will hold you hand and take you to the movies. Kid let me tell you that some one ain't me I'm an old has been who isn't even sure if he knows what love is, you deserve the world and I sure as hell couldn't give it to you."
Between the three seconds it took for what he said to register in his brain and her lips to attach to his, he realized it was true. He loved her, he wasn't sure how or why but it was true. Then her lips were pressed onto his and the world faded. Guy felt like he was
Flying higher and faster then his ring could ever take him; his breath was rushing from his lungs. He didn't seem to care this moment of perfection was all that mattered. If he were to die in this instant he knew he would happily walk though which ever Set of gates were his future a happy man.