Finally.
Kory floated carefully down the stairs; her gaze fixed upon the nursery door. She had finally gotten six-month-old Jake to sleep, and Mar'i was safely tucked in tight in the room next door. Everything seemed perfectly set up for a good night's sleep, but Kory swore her children could sense when their parents relaxed.
She reached the bottom of the stairs and let out a sigh of relief. Perhaps tonight Jake would allow her sleep for a little more than two hours. She entered the living room and found her husband focused on his laptop, piles of paper crowding the little coffee table where he worked.
She came up behind him and draped her arms around his neck, her head resting on his shoulder.
Kory kissed his cheek. "What are you working on, my love?"
Dick absentmindedly stroked one of her hands, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"Stuff." He replied tonelessly.
"Stuff." She repeated. "Care to elaborate?"
"Uh-huh. Love you too, Star."
She sighed. He was in one of those moods again, fully concentrated on his work. And when he got started, it usually took him a good couple of hours to snap him out of it again.
Kory leaned in close and whispered in his ear. "Well, I suppose I could not kiss you for a week. Perhaps then we could take about "stuff."
"Yeah I'll be up a sec."
She groaned, finally resulting to drastic measures. "Then I expect to see you at my wedding next weekend. I am leaving for Tamaran in the morning."
She started to walk away, but Dick caught her hand and pulled her onto the couch, catching her so her face was inches from his.
"And who is this suitor who dares to steal you away from me?"
"I believed you were not listening."
"I am now."
She laughed and kissed him. "Perhaps I shall reconsider."
She rose herself up to a sitting position and rested against Dick's shoulder.
"What is this?" she questioned. "This does not look like a case."
It's my will." He replied.
Kory's eyebrows creased with confusion. "Richard, 'will' is a grammatical function used for the future-tense."
He laughed. "Yeah, but a will, the physical thing, are like instructions on when you die."
"When you die?" she questioned.
"Yeah, it tells the lawyer or your family what to do with your money and possessions. Like here in this section, this delegates who will take custody of Mar'i and Jake if something happens to us."
"You are implying that something will?"
"No, it's just a precaution. It's good to be prepared."
"Ah." Satisfied with his answer, she squinted to see the screen. "So who did you put to care for our children?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out." Dick mused. "I don't know who would be best suited. Bruce is the closest living relative, but it doesn't create the most ideal living situation, especially if the kids are still young."
"Why not Rachel and Garfield? They live close enough to Gotham so they can visit Bruce daily, and it would create a steady home environment. Besides, I am certain wherever they live, they will have many people caring for them."
Dick looked at her with surprise. "You've got a point there. Maybe you should write the will."
"Or just let me into that fortress you call your mind occasionally. What does this section address?" She pointed to a small paragraph near the top of the screen.
"Oh, that just instructs on how we're going to be buried."
"That is easy." Kory stated. "We shall have a traditional Tamaranean funeral for warriors."
Dick raised an eyebrow. "And what exactly does that entail?"
"Simple. Our bodies will be burned in the Furnaces of Glorthrog the All-Seeing, and after a glorious play will be depicted of our deaths by the royal theatre in front of the entire planet. Then we shall be carried to the top of the highest mountain and a Zobgar will be sacrificed in our honor. And finally, our dust shall be released into the universe. And then—" she stopped at Dick's expression. "What is it?"
"It's uh, definitely unique. You sure we can't just have a quiet, normal Earth funeral?"
Kory scrunched her nose with distaste. "You mean placing the dead in wooden boxes and leaving them underground to rot and disintegrate?"
"Well when you put it that way—"
"You do not prefer the traditions of my beloved planet?" she accused, Dick quickly releasing he was about to lose a fight with his sleep-deprived wife.
"I didn't mean it that way!" He defended himself. "I just meant, that uh, maybe it's not the best thing for Mar'i and Jake to watch."
Kory's expression softened. "You are correct. It would not be wise to have them rewatch our deaths."
"How about we compromise?" He proposed. "We can have a funeral here on Earth, with tombstones so they can visit us, and then our ashes can be sent to Tamaran so we can be nuked into space and whatnot."
"Alright, I concur." Kory smiled, but her eyes told Dick a different story.
"What's wrong?" He asked, his full attention now focused on her.
"It is…sad. To think about what will happen if we someday pass unexpectedly. To think what will happen to the children."
"Yeah, it is." He agreed. "But it's just a precaution. It's not like we're planning on it. It's very unlikely to happen."
"It was unlikely for our parents as well." She stated dejectedly while avoiding his gaze.
"Hey," He took her face his hands. "Look. I can't promise that it won't happen. But we're going to do everything we can to make sure it doesn't. And on the very off chance that it does, we've already set up a plan for Mar'i and Jake. We're not leaving them to fend for themselves, okay?"
"I do not wish to lose them, Richard. I could not bear it."
He pulled her into a tight embrace as she rested her head against his chest. He stoked her crimson curls, watching her shake ever so slightly. Dick was well aware that in their line of work, they could be killed at any moment. He didn't like the thought of leaving their children anymore than she did, but worrying themselves to pieces on the worst possible outcome wouldn't do them any good. No one ever won at that game.
"Enough of this will nonsense." He said, closing the laptop. He scooped up Kory off the couch and threw her over his shoulders.
"Richard, wha—?"
"No more tears for tonight. And you can't go to bed until I get a smile out of you." He spun her around in circles across their living room, her laughter driving out whatever gloom had been there before.
"Richard, s-stop!" she shrieked before they finally both collapsed on the couch, breathless with laughter. Dick slid an arm under Kory's waist, appreciating the amusement that had crept back into her eyes.
"You okay in there, Princess?"
"I am now."
"Good, because I'm looking forward to an evening alone with you." He pulled her into a kiss, both lost in the moment until Jake's faint cries reached their ears. Kory groaned.
"Well, you, me and Jake." He decided. "Don't worry, I'll get him."
He rose from the couch and was about to make his way to the stairs when their six-year-old daughter appeared around the corner.
"Mommy, Jake is crying." Mar'i stated, clutching a stuffed elephant.
Dick gave a stern look. "Young lady, you're supposed to be in bed."
"But Jake is awake." She pouted. "Can I stay up too? It no fair!" She stuck out her bottom lip and pleaded with the largest puppy dog eyes she could muster.
Dick sighed and looked helplessly at Kory, who was trying not to laugh.
"Come on my little bumgorf." She said. "One last story for you and Jake before bed."
Dick picked Mar'i up and swung her onto his shoulders. "Come on, Starshine. It's daddy's turn to tell the story."
"Oh yes, tell her the one about Larry." Kory chimed as they ascended the stairs to Jake's room.
"I'm not telling her about Larry."
The laptop lay forgotten on the table below.
It was unusually cold on Tamaran that night. Despite her supposed increased tolerance to cold weather, Mar'i shivered. She struggled to climb over the craggy rocks and jumbled vegetation to reach the top. She didn't feel like flying tonight.
She slipped and would have fallen flat on her face if her brother hadn't of caught her.
"Careful." Jake said, breaking the silence between them. "Are you sure you don't want me to carry that?"
Mar'i sighed. "Sure." She relented the urn she carried to her brother. "We're almost there anyway."
Jake took her hand and smiled softly at her, guiding her along the way. Even if he was her annoying younger brother, she always found comfort in his strong and steady presence.
It was a breathtaking view as they reached the top. The cloudless sky opened up to reveal multicolored planets and comets, with billions upon billions of stars.
"You ready, Sis?"
Mar'i looked over to see Jake cradling the urn, his eyes staring straight into hers like he could see into her soul. There was no hiding anything from this guy.
She felt tears prick her eyes, and Jack enveloped her in his arms.
"I know," he sighed. "I miss them too."
They stayed that way for a while until Mar'i released his hold, wiping her eyes.
"I'm ready."
She helped Jake lift the urn above them before turning it on its side, releasing the contents into the air. The ashes poured out like mist, like shimmering dust.
"Goodbye." Mar'i whispered, feeling Jake put his arm around her shoulders. "I miss you."
The ashes seemed to dance, chasing itself higher and higher in the galaxies above. The stars seemed to shine brighter. Despite herself, Mar'i smiled, seeing them both released into the universe.
And into the stars.
