Title: Between the Lines:

Fandom: DC Comics Booster Gold

Spoilers: From Booster Gold 1 vol 2 to 14.

Summary: Something important has been revealed to Booster Gold and he's not sure if he wants to know if it's true.

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Once you are Starro...Starro will murder your son!

Booster could still hear those words clear as a bell no matter how much he wanted to believe he heard wrong. Because there had to be a mistake Michael Jon Carter didn't have a son.

That you know of, Skeets had calmly (far too calmly) informed him.

But he had been careful. Studied all of these ancient methods of birth control to prevent such a thing and these scary sexually transmitted diseases of this time period. The possibility that he actually had a child was frightening enough. Then again it was a bad guy that told him that...a bad guy that was being controlled by Starro. Crap. What did a giant starfish care about playing mind games with his enemy when he was moments away from joining his brainwashed masses? Of course it might not have happened yet. Time travel was confusing.

There were limited options for Booster to chose to vent his fears. Michelle was still knocked out from the whammy she took and wouldn't be able to understand it. She might even start about his lack of responsibility in general. He was trying to be a better hero, brother, and person. It wasn't entirely his fault that he was just learning about this...right? His buddy Skeets annoyingly didn't seem too concerned with the situation. Said that if it happened then there was nothing they could do about it. If not then there was. That ruled the golden android out of discussing this topic. There was one option, one that might not be the best of timing all things considered. The other man was just taken over by Starro and pissed off (again) at him for messing up the time line. Then again who was better to talk to about past tense and future tenses then Rip Hunter?

Down in the med bay where Booster had been patched up himself after the Joker "lesson" was Michelle, still down for the count. Besides her were the others. Skeets hovering overhead while Daniel sat besides her and Rip stood holding a clipboard he was going over.

"Come on, anyone could have made that mistake!" Daniel hissed careful enough to not disturb Michelle by being overly loud.

"Yes Daniel, anyone would have left an unknown creature that they could plainly see was part of an invasion force alone without informing anyone about it first." Yep, Rip was still pissed about the whole affair. Setting down what Booster assumed was Michelles' chart Rip sighed. For a few seconds he rubbed his face where the Starro clone had previously been. Booster felt could sympathize with him. Not just from being close to having his own body taken over (thank you goggles and force field) but from actually seeing Rip. The man rarely panics. This was the first time that Booster ever saw the Time Master truly helpless. That doesn't sit well with him.

"Hey, I said I was sorry. I didn't want to cause--well whatever it was that happened but didn't. I never wanted anyone to get hurt." Ever since he started living in Daniels' house Booster had been waiting for a moment where the two of them could bond. He never thought that they would be on the same wavelength over disappointing Rip.

"I know you didn't, I do wish you would think about your actions before you blindly leap in. It affects more people than just yourself." Okay, that could be directed at him, he gets it.

"Danny can't help it, it seems to run in the family." He gives Daniel a small smile to show his support (since they are in the same boat now) and catches the tail end of an odd expression from his boss. It's gone before he can figure out what he saw.

"She's okay, just stunned." His very great grandfather reveals in ways of a thanks. "Do you want to be alone with her or...?"

"Actually I wanted to talk to Rip for a moment." There's a slight twitch of uncertainty on Rips' face but otherwise he betrays nothing. Could Booster Gold ever master such control? He doubted himself capable of ever being that good of an actor. The guy had to be furious with him.

"Oh, alright. I can stay here to look after her if you want." Daniel says hopefully. Booster sees it for what it is, Daniel wanting to redeem himself in their eyes and feeling lingering guilt about putting them all in danger.

"Thanks, I appreciate it. Try not to bicker too much with Skeets."

"And in return I will attempt to not win any arguments." The droid responds earning a glare from Daniel. Maybe the uneasiness around Skeets hadn't disappeared after they acquired a new body for him.

Leading a curious Time Master out into the furthest corners of lab, away from the others Booster feels his certainty waver. How do you broach something like potential fatherhood? What if Rip didn't know? Or wouldn't tell him the truth? Best to start off on a smaller scale, like how the world was almost destroyed. No, he wanted to know something else first.

"How are you feeling?" The other mans' eyes widen with surprise clearly expecting the worst. He would just have to wait.

"I...I'm physically alright." At Boosters' expectant look he sighed again. "I'll be fine. Having something attached to your face and it's tentacles in your brain is a bit daunting."

He has to smile at that because even when he freaks out Rip usually bounces back pretty fast. "I guess so. I almost had that happen to me so..." Again the words Starro spoke come back to him and Booster feels his grin falter. Why was Daniel taking the idea of having two far removed grandkids and knowing who he would marry so well? Had it not sunk in yet?

"Was there something else?"

"I..." The moment of truth was within his grasp--"...I just want you to understand why I did what I did." --and he faltered.

"Do you appreciate the situation this puts us in, Booster? Not only did you allow them to get away--with the promise of owning them a favor--Chronos has better knowledge of my work! Who knows what insane scheme he may apply that information to next!" Closing his eyes to get his frustration under control Rip mutters," So yes Booster, please explain to me why the situation was dire enough to warrant this response. Because at the moment I'm at a loss."

A little annoyed that he was once again in the wrong Booster felt a little snippy himself. "I don't know, maybe because it was just Skeets and me fighting a world full of Starros! Our one weapon was gone and without that Chronos woman we had no way to time travel! I saw the world Starro had created with heroes dying left and right to keep their so-called 'order'--"

H-he used Rip to do this...

"--and the only means to stop it was by making a deal with her! What else was I supposed to do?" Really he wanted to know.

"You could have found another way." Rip said sounding very sure such a thing was more than remotely possible. "You can't keep trying to bargain your way out every tight spot."

"I might not have made the best choices in the past but they were the only ones I saw at the time." He reasoned stubbornly refusing to compare what he was still doing as gambling. It wasn't the same thing as what he had done to end his football career. Was it? "I made them for what I believed were the right reasons."

"Those reasons could be exploited, she knows this and used it against you." Venom dripped into Rips' voice when he referred to the Chronos chick. "Mr. Mind tried to get to you through your father--!"

"So what are you getting at Rip?" Booster really was never in the mood to talk about his father and when his own impeding fatherhood was on his mind he didn't even want him mentioned. That might have been another factor to this kid thing he was worrying about. What sort of parent could he make if he never had a good male role model to show him how it was done? It was easier to keep arguing than to give those fears voice. "Are you saying that I should stop caring about people?"

"Of course not. There are more than just a handful of people to be concerned with, Michael."

The use of his first name had gradually started since he woke up on the med bed after futilely facing down the Joker. Some people in the cape community had started getting on more friendly basis by using each others' real names more often. Booster hadn't liked that practice as he didn't like to be reminded of the past failures of Michael Jon Carter. Only a few people could get away with that without a jibe being directed at them. Though bad guys like Mr. Mind and now the Chronos couple could hardly be discouraged. Tora, Bea and J'onn he could let slide, Ted was his best friend, Daniel was family and Batman had earned it for his support. He wasn't sure what to make of Rip using it. The other man didn't do it often but tended to use it to gain his attention. The golden hero chose not to call him on it. Maybe it was because Rip knew all about his past misdeeds and still saw him as someone who could do some good. When he wasn't lecturing him of course.

"I was worried about you."

Admitting it isn't hard, Rip and him may not be as close as Ted and him but there was a connection there. They have always been there for each other when they needed one another. Though the Time Master is a little too uptight he is pretty cool. After all the trouble Booster caused he still went out of his way to save Michelle. Rips' been risking his own life selflessly without receiving anything but loss for his efforts. The guy deserves a break not being under Starros' control to bring about the destruction of everything he values.

Hearing Booster confess his concern seems to surprise Rip who is at a loss for what to say. He's not. "I know that had to be hell for you. To be trapped unable to stop yourself from doing Starros' commands and ruining everything you had worked for. You were valuable to him but it was only a matter of time before he got rid of you. You were too big of a threat if you rebelled against him later on. I wasn't going to let that happen."

Caught off guard Rip Hunter seems more flustered with this answer than exasperated. "I...appreciate the concern but I know the risk of this job. If worse comes to worse you will have to make a choice between saving me and everything else--"

"I'll chose both." He answers smoothly. The exasperation comes back to Rips' face and Booster has to keep himself for snorting. It would ruin his position if he gave in to the impulse.

"Booster--"

"No Rip, I'm not abandoning you. This is not something you can argue me out of. You said it yourself, my friends are more important than the mutliverse." Is it childish that he loves the eye roll he gets in return?

"I knew that one was going to bite me in the ass." Rip mutters before getting back to the topic. "It would be the right thing to do. How can you compare countless lives against one? It's the choice any hero would make." Ow, low blow.

"I can't see Supeman thinking that way." The counter is easy and Booster smirks before adding," And I've never held onto the usual ideal of heroics."

"I can't get you to rethink this can I?" His voice is resigned but Booster knows that this won't be the last time they have this conversation. Rip Hunter can be just as stubborn and as underhanded as he can be when pressed.

"Nope. "

Another sigh though he notes it's not as heartfelt as the ones J'onn used to give. "I don't want you to be under any false impressions, Booster. You can't trust Lady Chronos. She's manipulative, twisted and cruel. She'll use what ever this favor is against us."

"Sort of got that hint by her costume. Why do I find it creepy when super villain couples dress alike?" The weak joke covers up his own unease with this woman. She claimed to have intimate knowledge of him. Knew his name and about dire events coming his way. Of course she also hit on him and hinted at them being an item in the future. Booster wasn't sure if he believed her, yet Rip didn't say it was impossible just that he wouldn't allow it to go on if it had happened. Could she be connected with this son Starro spoke of?

"Michael? Are you alright?"

No, he wasn't. This mission was lonely even with his sister, Skeets and Rip. There was no one that he felt he could truly open up to about everything. Michelle didn't understand the past too well, and given how furious she had been with his gambling he was unsure how she would react to other things he did. He couldn't put anymore pressure on her when she was already trying to cope with her own adjusting. Rip was too big of a mystery himself to allow a closer relationship and Skeets acted too matter-of-factly lately. Now Booster might have a son who he likely was already failing and didn't know what the right choice would be. Did he really want to know? Could he be a better man, a better father than his own?

"I don't know, Rip."

In the end he wasn't ready to know the truth, whatever it may be. Maybe some day he would be but today wasn't that day.

"I guess somethings we'll just have to wait and see and hope for the best."