Justice League Unlimited
Redemption
by Lord Akiyama
Author's Note: The events of this story takes place after the episode "The Cat and The Canary." Additionally, all characters are the property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. They are in no way being used for profit so please don't sue. And now, on with the show...
Chapter Four
-
Cairo, Egypt
"Are you even sure there is such a place as Hamunaptra!" Lois yelled as she stormed out of the hotel with a nervous Jimmy Olsen right behind with the camera hanging from his neck. They followed the heavily clothed man toward a waiting jeep. "I swear to God, MY GOD MIND YOU, that if you leave us to rot in the middle of the desert you're gonna wish you were never born!" As soon as they were inside the jeep, Lois slammed the door hard. And then they were off.
He watched, peering through an otherwise heavily closed blinds and chuckled. "Everything's going according to plan," he muttered. He took a few steps from the window and turned to a pair of figures waiting in the room. "Now all we need to do is get this pathetic TV reporter to play along and we will have our revenge in no time. And might I say that your brothers did a fine job gaining the attention of the Justice League back in Midway City."
One of the figures turned his attention to the door. He saw this and heard what they heard. Footsteps headed their way. The reporter was here. "Alright boys," he said with a grin. "Get into the bag quickly and we can begin our journey's end." The figures did as they were told, adapting themselves to the shadows and sneaking their way into the waiting backpack that rested upon a chair. Moments later, there was a pair of knocks on the door. "You may enter, Mr. Carr," he said, having changed his voice tone.
The door opened and the familiar smile of Snapper Carr's appeared along with a few other bodies. No doubt his broadcast crew. "Well, Dr. Hastor," Carr said upon entering. "Shall we get this show on the road?"
"Yes, very much Mr. Carr," Hastor said, walking ever so slowly to the backpack resting on the chair. "Let us embark on our venture into history."
-
Hamunaptra, Egypt - Thirty minutes later...
"So this place is real," Superman said as he scanned his surroundings. "Lois always concluded that that one movie about a mummy was incredibly fictitious."
"I wouldn't know anything about that," said a masked Hawkman. "All I know is that I asked my beloved to be buried in secret. It was Khufu who decided that she was important enough to be buried amongst the other kings buried away from all the other known tombs."
"If this is an Egyptian resting ground, where are the pyramids?" Wonder Woman asked, looking about the lack of structures around her. "Where are the statues?"
"This place was probably supposed to be so secret that no one would ever find it," Green Lantern thought aloud. "That and time tends to destroy a lot of what stood. Whose to say some of the statues have been buried beneath the increasing sand storms since the last being walked freely here? This is the perfect place to hide someone you didn't want the world to know."
John then turned to look upon Shayera. All her attention was focus upon her father. She watched as Katar examined specific spots in the ground before crouching down. He turned to her and motioned her to follow. Shayera took a deep breath and walked over to him. John motioned the others to follow them. They watched as Shayera crouched down with her father, who took one of her hands into his.
"Only a Thanagarian would successfully be able to unlock the door to your mother's tomb, Shayera," Katar said. "Khufu and I designed the security as such that only our blood would disarm them successfully. Which is why I came here first when I returned to make sure the Thanagarians didn't discover and otherwise harm your mother's sleep."
Shayera nodded as she looked upon the sand covered spot her father was examining moments before. She studied the ground before slowly moving her hand to touch it. She then began to brush the sand to reveal a piece of engraved concrete. She then brushed more of the sand to reveal more of the engraving. She stopped upon discovering what looked like a handprint. She examined her discovery until she looked upon her own hand. Slowly, she placed her hand within the engraving.
Sounds were heard and much of the sand around her began to move. In its place, light pierced through to reveal the shape of the engraving within the ground. Shayera recognized it quickly as that of the Thanagarian insignia. But the shape was different. She was about to move her hand when her father gently kept it upon the handprint engraving. She glanced over to him before nodding in understanding. Soon after, the light began to face and straight through the middle of the symbol a straight line appeared. This was the door to her mother's tomb and it was opening.
Superman, Diana and John watched in amazement at the sight before them. It appeared that the ancient Egyptians had excelled in technology long before any other civilization. Unless, of course, they were assisted by Katar. But such a thought was far from their minds at the moment. Their concern now was placed upon their comrade, Shayera. They knew she had lived her entire life without ever knowing an inkling of her mother, not even of her heritage. The could only imagine the vast streams of emotion surging through her as the doors came to a stop, having opened completely.
Shayera stood as she stared with a mixture of wonder and fear upon what she is about to see. This is where her mother, an Earthling, slept. She was fixated on the thought before feeling her father's hand gently pulling hers. She turned to see his gentle smile and smiled back. She took a deep breath and followed her father's guide into the tomb of his beloved Chay-Ara. Moments later, the others followed.
Lantern used his ring to light the room. Somehow, it wasn't helping a whole lot. There weren't even markings upon the walls beside them. "I take it there's more to this than what we're seeing," he said.
"Fire is the key element," Katar said, removing an unlit torch from its holding place. "Another security measure Khufu and I designed. Am I correct in understanding that Superman is able to generate fire for us?" Superman nodded and focused his sight upon the top of the torch. Two thin beams shot quickly out of his eyes and upon the torch. Seconds later, a flame erupted. And they had light. "Thank you," Katar said as he continued to lead them further into the tomb.
Moments later, they came to a stop. There was still barely anything to be seen. Lantern wanted to try his ring again, but Shayera placed her hand upon his forearm. She shook her head and he complied. "I'm not beginning to like this," Diana whispered as quietly as she could to Superman. "Do you think maybe this is some kind of trap?"
"You are about to see for yourself," Katar said. Diana was quickly shocked upon realizing Katar heard her doubts. Katar gave her smile and placed the flames of his torch upon a specific spot on the wall. And just like that, the entire room began to breathe life. He watched the others widen their eyes in splendid wonder at the sight before them.
The walls spoke with illustrations of the life of a woman who began as a servant to the Pharaoh and then became the beloved of a winged creature from the Heavens. The objects within were of solid gold, no doubt offerings from Khufu and others who paid tribute to her and Katar. There was even a small waterfall pouring from a gold mount at one side of the room. The majestic beauty they saw was beyond their wildest dreams. Chay-Ara was born without any valuables and was buried with the wealth of Egypt.
John turned to look upon Shayera. He couldn't help but smile a little as she saw her face. She was completely entranced by the wonder that surrounded her. All of these gifts were for her father's beloved, even after her passing. It was as if to say that even the king of this land was honored by her presence. He could see in her eyes that she would give anything to have met this woman said to be her mother.
"As you can see, you need the ability of flight to get across," Katar said, pointing out the huge gap between where they stood and where the treasures rested. "Khufu's idea. He strongly believed that no one should dare remove any of Chay-Ara's belongings for she was born without any. I didn't mind, so long as my beloved wasn't disturbed."
"You weren't taking any chances," Diana said, examining the gap. She couldn't see where the bottom was. "I can only imagine what other traps you've set up for her."
"The Thanagarians took away my daughter," Katar sighed. "If any one dared take Chay-Ara's body from her slumber, they better have had a death wish." He took another deep breath before pushing off the ground and flying over to the treasures. Shayera quickly followed, the others catching up moments later. "Through that doorway is where your mother lays, Shayera," Katar said, pointing toward the doorway next to the waterfall. "But before that is one more trap to pass through before reaching her."
"Thanagarian blood needed to open the door," Superman noted aloud. "Fire needed to light the room. Flight to pass over a gigantic gap that appears bottomless. You must've set up something more diabolical should any one have been lucky enough to by pass those previous obstacles."
"I wasn't so much worried about grave robbers as I was of Thanagarians if they ever came to Earth," Katar said as they made their way toward the doorway beside the waterfall. "Which is why I convinced Khufu to design the most hideous trap he could possibly devise."
-
The Watchtower - Two minutes later...
"'If you're so bored Flash, why not get to know some of the new blood a little better, Wally,'" Flash groaned. "'I'm sure you would hit it off with them if you ever end up in a tough spot.' Geez, you whine once and even J'onn is starting lose his sense of humor. ... Although the new blonde looks like a real hottie I wouldn't minding getting to know."
As if the sudden thought would disappear if he didn't hurry, Flash bolted for the recreational center. Batman made mention that two of the new guys would be there training intensively. Perhaps one of them is a blonde. It didn't take any longer than five seconds for Wally to arrive at the recreational center. After dusting himself off, as if he needed to, he put on his best smile and opened the door. What he saw was not one, but two blondes.
Green Arrow, lying on his stomach, groaned and winced as Black Canary tightened her grip on both his legs and one of his arms. In moments time, she was going to be stretching his back whether he wants it or not. Dinah smirked as she jammed her knee into the small of his back. She then noticed that someone was watching. She looked up at Flash with an even bigger grin.
"There's a five minute wait if you want a stretch, sir," she giggled. She rolled on her back and held Ollie high in the air with her knees still digging into his back. "And since you're one of the founders, I'll have to make it extra special."
"Run Sparky, before its too late..." Ollie managed to mutter as the pain continued to surge through his back. He was able to see the fear that painted Flash's face before moments later disappearing in a blur of speed. Ollie and Dinah stared at the door for a moment without saying and doing anything. "You know, I'm surprised he actually fell for it," he finally said.
"Some men just can't handle a good, pre-exercise stretch," Dinah smirked before further stretching Ollie's back.
"AAAHHH... good point..." he managed to groan. The stretch continued until he heard a pop in his back and exhaled. "Ah... there we are..." With that, Dinah rolled back forward and gently, if one could consider what she does gently, placed Ollie back on his stomach. "Been getting harder and harder to pop that. Thanks for the stretch."
"No problem," Dinah grinned. "Now are you sure you want to go another round with me?"
"Is that round still sparring?" Ollie smirked. Moments later, he found himself getting his legs stretched. And they were about to get twisted.
Flash kept running until he saw the familiar figure of Batman at one of his tables, examining yet another piece of evidence. Wally came to a stop and began catching his breath. "My, what fine people we've included in our roster, Bats," Wally mentioned in a somewhat sarcastic tone. "That friend of yours sure knows how to pick the ladies."
"Think of Oliver as me, only a little more open to others," Batman said, showing no sign of removing his focus from his work. "His life changing experience came later than it did for me."
"That and I heard he's very vocal about his opinions," Wally sighed before looking for a chair to sit in. "Supergirl said he's a bit of a racist and hardcore liberal. Whatever the last one means."
"Being rich means you have to mingle and play with the politicians," Batman replied, still placing all his attention on his work. "If you don't, they'll swipe every cent from underneath you. Oliver takes the more direct approach whereas I listen carefully for what needs to be heard."
"You don't say," Wally responded, finding a chair placed a little bit father from Bats. In a quick second, he retrieved it and sat himself near his comrade. "So what about the other blonde? Any juicy info on her?"
"Dinah was born with the ability to create a super sonic scream," Batman replied. "That wasn't enough for her, though, so she became Wildcat's best student."
"She was trained by Wildcat?" Wally said in surprise. "Huh. Guess that's how she was able to get Ollie in that stretch."
"Between those two, how do you know Oliver didn't purposely let her?" Batman replied.
-
Chay-Ara's Tomb - Five minutes later...
"Did I ever mention how glad I am my ring is able to create an energy force shield?" John said, look back at the pathway behind him. "I don't think even Lex Luthor could come up with something more evil than that. I'm gonna have bad dreams about this, I'm sure of it."
"In all honesty, I wouldn't attempt to see if even I could withstand such a trap," Superman replied, exhaling his relief. "How were you able to put together such a trap, Katar?"
"All I did was make suggestions," Katar said, trying to contain himself from snickering at the sight of a proud hero like Superman showing a sign of fear from something he took part of. "Khufu was responsible for putting these traps together. Too bad he couldn't pull the same kind of success for his own grave before passing."
"Hopefully we won't have to go through such a thing ever again," Diana said, holding herself up with her hands on her knees and catching her breath. "I'm actually glad Bruce didn't come along, or else he'd start having some ideas." Such a thought made Superman and John shutter. Bats would indeed be one of the few who could successfully attempt recreating such a trap.
Shayera was the only one not engaged in the conversation. In fact, her attention was far away from the trap. Everyone turned to see her stand perfectly still, looking upon the view that laid before her. Shayera slowly began to step forward, entering the room where in the middle rested her mother.
Shayera looked upon the coffin, feeling with the tip of her fingers the engraving of her mother's appearance upon it. The design looked very much like her own features. Only Chay-Ara didn't have green eyes nor did she have wings. Shayera's eyes remained upon the design of her mother's face as she stepped slowly around the coffin, her fingers running against the engravings. Within this coffin her mother slept. A tear began to slowly run down her cheek, speaking of the sadness she felt of never having met perhaps one of the most important people in her life.
Katar remained his place as he watched his daughter examine her mother's coffin, believing himself to be feeling the same kind of sadness she was. Superman looked to one side, but felt sympathy for Shayera. He too will never truly meet his biological mother. Diana felt sympathetic for Shayera herself. She almost lost her mother, the most important person in her life. She could only imagine the additional pain Shayera was truly feeling inside.
John refused to remove his eyes from her. This was a woman he loved and here she was at perhaps her weakest moment. A part of him wanted to walk over and give her comfort, while the other told him to stay back and let her be. The division within him was a parallel to his emotions for her.
Shayera came to a stop upon reaching one side to the engrave of her mother's face. She looked deeply at the eyes and ran her fingers upon the cheek. And then, as if all the strength was taken away from her, Shayera dropped to her knees. Her eyes covered in her arms, resting upon the engraving of her mother's body. Quiet sobbing could be heard coming from her shivering body. Moments later, she managed with whisper, "Mom..."
-
The Watchtower - Thirty minutes later...
One case was finished, it was time to start another. Batman closed the file and opened a second, examining the information first before getting to work with his investigation. Although he wasn't officially a member of the Justice League, Batman did find the scientific lab in this new Watchtower to fit his needs. Combining the financial budgets of his and Oliver Queen's along with the alien knowledge of J'onn and the nuclear and scientific knowledge of The Atom, it was more than the perfect investigative device in the galaxy.
Being one to remain focus on the work at hand, he didn't bother to look up to see the door sliding open and someone entering. He didn't bother to remove his attention over his work just to see the woman looking over his shoulder. But even though he didn't have to look or release his focus, he knew exactly who was behind him just by listening to all the details that most others wouldn't bother to take into consideration.
"I take it the trip down to the surface was a little bumpy," he commented, keeping his attention on his work.
"Maybe I probably need a lesson in history, but the Egyptians seemed really worried about their values even after death," Diana said before turning to find a chair to sit in.
"Their values are worth even more after death back in those days," he responded, no sign of breaking his focus. "Even more so are the bodies themselves sometimes. Many Egyptian royalties are missing simply because their tombs were raided and their bodies have yet to be recovered."
Diana nodded in understanding and then sighed. "Shayera wouldn't leave so John volunteered to stay with her while we returned," she said, finding a chair and taking a seat. "Katar was interested in meeting Dr. Fate while Superman said there was someone who needed his attention."
There was a length of silence as Diana sat in her chair while Batman retained his attention to examining the case at hand. Moments later, while still upon his work, Batman said, "Your emotional feeling for Shayera has shifted as of late."
Diana wanted to deny at first, but then she remembered who she was talking to. "You would make the perfect psychologist, you know that Bruce," she commented.
"You can say I have an unofficial degree in criminal psychology, just no certificate for proof," he replied, still on his work. "You're still unforgiving toward her because of the Thanagarian invasion, yet you're starting to feel sympathy because of all that has happened in the last few days."
Diana opened her mouth, but then thought better of what to say before she sighed. "I think all of this is starting to affect some of us," she said. "John seems just as lost as she is and here I am..." She stopped for a moment to come up with the right words to say. "Am I wrong if after all this I still dislike her Bruce?"
"That is all in the perception of your mind, Diana," he replied, not turning to face her. "Only you can let the assumption of whether you like or dislike Shayera be known to the others. Shayera openly accepts all the criticism for having taken part in the Thanagarian invasion and does not return with hatred or dislike. Even if she doesn't return with a smile or comfort either. I doubt all six of us could completely forgive her when he voted upon whether or not she was going to remain part of the team. But I understood why had she not resigned she would've remained on the team."
"It's because she deserved a second chance, right?" Diana said.
"That's what Superman would say, but I know better," Bruce replied. "Superman, J'onn and Wally voted for her to stay not just because she deserved a second chance. But because they knew at the end of the day she had the heart to do what was needed. When the invasion came to an end, it wasn't just because she realized her mistake and the betrayal she felt from her own people. She fought for us in the end because what she believed in was still in her heart and what she believed in was enough for the others to accept her."
"Then why did you vote for her to leave?" she asked curiously.
"You all know me enough to know the answer," he replied. If she could see his face, she would probably bet that he was grinning. "Though I agree with them, I'm not as optimistic. Talk to Dick, Barbara, Tim, and even Alfred if you want to know more about that."
"What about Zatanna?" she asked, raising a brow and forming a smirk on her face. "I heard you two were quite an item in the past and you needed her help when I was turned into a pig."
"Zatanna is part of a different subject, Diana," he replied. The tone of his voice made no giveaway of his feelings toward the comment Diana made. "The subject is whether it would be justifiable for you to remain disliking of Shayera even after learning of the terrible things that happened to her since birth."
"Yeah, I know," Diana sighed. "So what you're saying is that what I'm really afraid of is how others would perceive me and my feelings toward her as time progresses. Will they see me as having accepted her or being cold to her regardless of what happens to her and what she does?"
"There's nothing more I can say that will help you decide how to answer that question, Diana," Bruce replied. "That part is for you to figure out."
Diana thought about it for a moment and then nodded in understanding. She then looked at Batman and gave a gentle smile before standing up from her seat. She walked over to him and placed her hands upon his shoulders. "Thanks for listening, Bruce," she whispered gently before kissing him on the cheek and leaving him to his work.
Bruce showed no expression of emotion and showed no signs of removing his attention from his work. But he knew deep inside that he was going to have to face the same question he gave to John. His relationship track record was never the best and he himself is uncertain how far he and Diana will be able to go. Will it be worth it?
-
Middle of Nowhere, Egypt - Two minutes later...
"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT! I KNEW YOU WERE GONNA GET US LOST! BUT DID I LISTEN TO MY INSTINCTS! NOOO! BECAUSE A JOURNALIST DOES HER JOB! BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN I'M GONNA KICK THE LIVING HELL OUTTA YOU FOR GETTING US LOST!"
Jimmy Olsen tried to hide in terror within the back seat of the jeep as the enraged Lois Lane began to march after the driver, running for dear life away from the jeep and deeper into the desert. Moments later, Jimmy watched as Lois returned in great frustration to the jeep. The driver was nowhere to be found.
"Well Jimmy, I hope Perry's happy with himself," Lois said with a mixture of rage, frustration and groaning. "Our supply of food and water will only last us a good week or two and we don't know to which direction civilization leads. Not to mention the fact that the jeep is out of gas, there's a good chance robbers live in the area, AND OUR DRIVER SAW FIT TO RUNAWAY THE MINUTE WE BUST DOWN!"
Jimmy sighed as he sulked in his seat over what he was just told. "And this is the first time I left the country, too," he quietly moaned. Suddenly, a thought struck his head. "Hey... maybe Superman can save us, like seems to always do!"
Lois thought about it for a moment before shaking her head. "I wish it were so easy, Jimmy," she sighed. "We're in Egypt, which is as far away from Metropolis as you can think of. Even with his super sense of hearing I doubt he would be able to hear our pleads in time before vultures start pecking away at our bones."
"Then I guess its a stroke of luck that I happen to be in the neighborhood, Ms. Lane."
Both Lois and Jimmy looked up in sheer disbelief. Very quickly, Jimmy started leaping with joy that Superman had indeed come to save the day. A smile of relief slowly began to form on Lois' face, knowing well that she shouldn't have doubted her wonderful hero to begin with.
"Maybe we should test that hearing of ours again to see if you really were," Lois smirked quietly when Superman came closer. "Even arrange another private interview, perhaps."
"An intriguing offer, I'm sure," Superman said with a smile. "So, what's a beautiful journalist like yourself and a young photographer like Jimmy doing as far away from Metropolis as you could think of?"
Quite the sense of hearing indeed, Lois thought. "Because a certain colleague of mine hasn't really been around the office as of late," she replied, slowly losing her smirk. "Since Perry's running of out international stories he wants to cover, he decided to send his best city reporter to follow the trail of what ended up being a dead end."
Superman smirked himself. "Then perhaps I could be of help," he said. "What kind of story are you chasing?"
My hero indeed, Lois thought with a smile. "My driver said he knew some secret tomb in Hamunaptra, even though the place doesn't really exist," Lois replied. "He has since abandoned us and we seem to no longer have the overseas story Perry needs for his paper."
"Hamunaptra, huh," Superman said, raising a brow. He wondered if he should say anything. Obviously he only knew of one tomb and it was better not to get any one else involved. But then, he did offer his help and he never backs away whenever he makes a deal with Lois Lane. "Just so happens I was there."
-
Chay-Ara's Tomb - Ten minutes later...
John watched as Shayera examined the illustrations upon the walls that surrounded her mother. They told a different story than those in the previous room where all the treasures were, but they told a story about Chay-Ara nonetheless. He sighed, not daring to look away from her.
The dangerous thing about two people who don't speak to one another but are aware of each others presence was that at least one of them was thinking too hard. That ended up being placed upon John as Shayera was preoccupied at the moment. And thinking was something John felt he should stop doing at the moment. Especially when the thoughts were not of the most positive nature. Suppose he tells her up front that he hadn't stopped loving her. What will he reaction be? Happy? Sad? Joyous? Scared? The most dangerous thought of all for him was the one he wanted to badly to get out of his head. What if she doesn't love him any more? What if she never did?
"Guess this is as good of a time as any for us to talk, John," Shayera said. Even though he was looking at her, he didn't pay attention to the fact that she noticed him watching and decided to break the silence. There was gentle, yet sad smile upon her face. "I mean, it's just the two of us now. Something we haven't done in a while."
"I don't want to be intruding on you if it seems like I'm doing so," John said nervously.
"I know, but I think now would be the best time," she replied. "Otherwise we might not have another chance for the two of us to be alone. Besides..." She paused for a moment, as if to look for the right words to say, and then sighed. "Besides, it'll put these at ease for me."
John waited a moment before taking a deep breath and walking over to her. Shayera just stepped over to her mother's coffin and knelt slowly to her knees, resting her back against the concrete that held her mother off the ground. John sat down next to her, leaning upon his knees. "So..." he quietly spoke. "Where do you wanna start?"
Shayera took a deep breath. "Everything going okay with you ever since that day?" she asked. "I barely got to ask the question before we got the chance to converse like this."
John thought for a moment before making a deep sigh. "No doubt you saw my change physically," he replied. "Emotionally... I guess you could say I tried to move on. Although that didn't work out so well. Bats can tell you how I had become more... isolated with the group. Not to mention I'm taking out a lot more aggression on the bad guys than I usually did. I probably am a different man than I was before." There was a sense of pain and regret in the ton of his voice, they both noted. He wondered if those were poor selection of words to say to her.
"And you and Vixen?" she asked. He couldn't figure out what kind of expression she was giving with the tone of voice she chose upon saying those words. After his reply, would it matter?
John took a little longer to think for a moment before sighing again. "We broke up the other day," he replied.
"I'm sorry," she said, slowly lowering your head. John caught this from the corner of his eye and knew he had to say something quickly or she's gonna start blaming herself.
"It was my fault, actually," he said. This prompted her to look at him with confusion and surprise. This was harder than he could've imagined as he took another deep breath and then faced her. "The thing is... I cared very deeply for the both of you. But I guess it was becoming apparent that I was more concerned about you than I was of her. And I really didn't know what to do. She finally decided to just end it before it got worse for the both of us. I'm just glad it was a good terms and not with an all out fight.
"But then... then I started to realize something. ... Even after all that we've been through... even after the whole Thanagarian invasion... even after I learned that you had another lover before me... after all that has happened... ... I never stopped loving you..."
He watched as a tear began to run down Shayera's face. She made little, if any, expression of emotion. He didn't know whether she was happy or sad. Angry or glad. Relieved or scared. The looked upon one another for what seemed like hours before she lowered her head and little and looked to one side. Shortly, though, she returned her gaze upon him.
"I've been so lost ever since that day I left you," she spoke quietly. "I've been trying so desperately to find myself. ... And at the same time... trying to decide upon my feelings. ... I was in love with two men. A man I thought cared for me deeply and another I cared for just as deeply. ... I betrayed one for the other... only to be betrayed in return. ... And I was scared, John. ... I was so scared that I hurt so bad that it would never heal..."
She stopped for a moment to wipe the tears from her eyes and then returned her gaze upon him. She saw the emotions that were bursting through his eyes in the form of tears. "I was in a position just like you, John..." she continued. "I had two men I cared for and loved dearly. ... But I didn't know how I was to choose. ... And then... and then I saw this look on your face... when I returned to the team. ... You were sitting next to Bruce and Diana... and there was this look on your face... as if you saw me die, and yet there I was alive and well..."
She didn't bother to stop the tears from running down her cheeks. Neither did John. "And now..." she continued. "... Now to hear you say... that you haven't stopped loving me..." There was a quiet pause. And then, she took a deep breath. With a smile upon her face. "It makes me so happy that I made the right decision. I love you too, John Stewart."
A smile of joyous relief came over him upon hearing those words. He wanted to say something in return, but knew that words meant nothing at this point. It was his choice to put everything on the line in the hopes that she loved him return. And the gamble paid off. Slowly and gently he lifted one hand to place upon her cheek, not caring about the tears that ran down his face.
Her heart was beating fast, but she knew it was not out of fear. In her heart she knew he was the one and she felt nothing less than excited to hear him say that he loved her, that he never did despite all the obstacles. Their other lovers, the betrayals, the heartbreak. In the end, they knew in their hearts that they were meant to be together. Just like how her father said it would be.
She placed her hands upon his shoulders, his free hand around her waist. And they slowly and gently pulled the other inward. Their eyes closed and their lips touched. It had been too long since they last shared a kiss. And the magic they felt since the first time they kissed back on the first Watchtower hadn't dwindled. In fact, it was much stronger. The kiss was passionate, yet soft and savoring. As if they wouldn't dare let this moment end. It wasn't until they heard a quiet thump that they released in surprise. The noticed that Shayera's wings were about to wrap around them when it tipped over something. The laughed lightly.
"It's okay," she whispered. "We didn't break anything." As much as they wanted to share another kiss, they decided to see what it was that she accidentally knocked over. They crawled over to see a dagger lying on the sanded ground. It seemed to have fallen from the concrete that held her mother's coffin.
"Quite an interesting dagger," John commented out of curiosity as Shayera moved closer for an inspection. "Doesn't look like the blade is made of any metal."
"It isn't," she said. "I think the dagger is made of crystal, but I'm not sure." Slowly, she inched her hand toward the hilt of the dagger. Upon grabbing it, a suddenly flash of light burst forth. Shayera didn't make a sound as she was knocked to the ground on her back.
"Shayera!" John screamed in terror. He quickly rushed over, noticing that her grip on the dagger was tight. She was still alive, or rather conscious. Yet her eyes... it was like she was in a state of suspension. As if she wasn't there. "Shayera?" he whispered as he shook her. No response. "SHAYERA!" She wasn't dead, but something was terrible wrong. "Green Lantern to Watchtower," he cried, speaking through the communications wire. "Shayera is... something's wrong with Shayera! I need assistance immediately!"
to be continued...