10 Justice League Family Ties
Vic sat at his computer which was tapped into the Hall of Justice's security feeds through a backdoor Batman had installed in the software. Unlike the destroyed monitor womb, he couldn't access the residence cameras through his laptop. He actively worried that someone like Luthor could find a way into the system someday, if they hadn't already.
"Are you looking to see if Anna Fortune is in house again?" Helena asked with a great deal of irritation in her voice.
"She's not there," Vic said in frustration.
"Good," Helena exclaimed, "Now we can go do something interesting."
"I have to find her. It could be vital," Vic replied.
"Dammit Q! You've spent the last three days trying to spy on that woman." Helena was well and truly angry now, "I know you're upset that she screwed with our memories but what's the big deal? You haven't been this crazy since you found out about that other dimensional Justice League…"
"The Justice Lords," Vic corrected her.
She glared at him, "Now is not the time to be correcting me. You tried to kill Luthor the last time you were like this and you remember what happened? CADMUS got a hold of you and tortured you until I could talk Superman into helping me rescue you. Do we have to go there again? Is that what you want?"
She was close to yelling at the end and Vic let the sounds in the room die away before replying, "Helena, she tapped into our minds and altered what was there without a qualm or a second thought. Do you want someone with that much power using it so recklessly? What's more, it was for personal gain not a greater good. She was protecting her secret. Her secret being that she killed someone."
"She avenged her lover's death," Helena countered.
"I don't see the point," Vic admitted.
"It doesn't matter that she wasn't allowed to see the black man. She was seeing him and they were lovers. The white guy killed him because of it and she in turn killed the white guy," Helena summarized and then declared, "I'd do the same if someone killed you. Corsicans may have invented the concept of vendetta but the Sicilians perfected it."
"That may be so. I've grown accustomed to the idea of her justifiably killing her fiancé. It may not hold to the ideal but it is understandable under such circumstances," Vic allowed, "But her flagrant abuse of power is unconscionable. She must be held accountable for her actions before she does something catastrophic."
"You really think it could get that bad?" Helena wondered.
"The question is, does Anna Fortune have a stable moral center or does she only indulge in self gratification?" Vic asked.
"She's helping out the League," Helena pointed out.
"But why? We know from her own statements that she seeks out adventure. What happens when her self interests conflict with the League's? Who wins then?" Vic inquired.
Helena frowned, "I see your point. I don't like it but I see it. So what do we do?"
"Our investigation was never concluded. I spoke with J'onn and he agrees that Anna should remain under surveillance," Vic revealed.
"Well, you said to give her a couple days off to get her settled back into her life," Helena reminded him.
"It's been three days. She should be thinking she's thrown us off the scent," Vic confidently asserted.
"But you don't know where she's at," Helena pointed out.
"We track her through her mobile phone," Vic informed her.
"Like we did before!" Helena exclaimed.
"Precisely," Vic nodded, "Now let me punch up her coordinates and we'll be off."
In Salem, within Fate's Tower, Anna observed all of this with the Nelson's scrying stone.
Inza came upon Anna and asked, "What will you do now?"
Anna sighed, "I suppose I'll just have to let the scallywags follow me around and have a show. The memory charm certainly didn't work."
There was an unspoken accusation in that and Inza noted it, "Anna, the charm was ill advised. Their investigation would have died out because of the lack of evidence that you cited upon being confronted. Now you stand condemned because of the very 'cure' you sought to apply to the situation."
"It seemed to make sense at the time," Anna defended her choices.
Inza smiled, "That's because you're young and used to getting your own way. Magic, even Order magic, carries a price and a consequence. You're just discovering this. You have been one of our star pupils but if you start acting irresponsibly, we will restrain you until you can show restraint."
Anna's eyes widened as she simply stared at the older woman. Inza shook her head, "Do not be so surprised, Anna. Surely you knew there were restraints upon your power. Those self imposed and external ones well. You are under constant scrutiny."
"And if I chose to renounce being an Agent of Order?" Anna hotly inquired.
"Then you would renounce you life on Earth as well. You have come too far and know far too much to be allowed loose on this world. You would be relinquished to the seat of the Lords of Order where you would serve out your days as a servant," Inza warned.
"I was not born to be a servant!" Anna snapped.
Inza gazed at her with open disapproval, "We are all servants of some form or another. It is vanity to believe otherwise. Accept this fact now, while you are still able, and your life on Earth will continue. If you are sent away with this pride in your heart, you will be the lowest of the low, until your heart learns its place."
Inza could see the younger woman's visible struggle. Anna had been born in a time when the rich, slave owning plantation owners had been treated as virtual royalty. That era comprised her childhood. The war had dominated her teenage years and the Reconstruction South was her life until her leaving that time epoch. Anna had been a literal princess.
As the eldest daughter she'd received first choice of everything. Nothing had been denied her. Fortunately, her parents had been rather restrained compared to many of their peers and Anna had led an austere life in comparison to her friends. They'd pitied her to her face and mocked her behind her back. A fact she was well aware since all of the slaves at every plantation counted Anna as a benefactor.
While Anna had supported the Confederacy, she'd desired that the slaves be set free as ardently as the stoutest abolitionist. She'd been delighted to learn of the so-called equality of the 21st Century and dismayed to see many of the old racial prejudices still in effect. She'd asked Fate why he didn't intervene and had simply been told it wasn't his place to change people's hearts.
Apparently it wasn't her place to change people's memories. She subsided as she came to accept this notion. Humility came a little harder but she had pledged herself to the Lords of Order. She'd taken that vow and she took it seriously.
She didn't give her word lightly. The Lords of Order wanted her to restrain herself, then out of her loyalty to them, she would. The same held true to the Justice League. She'd pledged herself to their cause. They may not appreciate her right now but she was well and truly in support of them with every fiber of her being. Their personal feelings regarding notwithstanding.
In fact, her loyalty to the League was driving her towards a confrontation with Al. He seemed to think that he was off duty when he chose to be. The nature of the League was such that one was always on call. Always. She had to make him see that or she'd turn him into a toad and that would be catastrophic for the pair of them. As she'd freely admitted, she wouldn't know how to turn him human again.
Inza could see Anna's acceptance and bequeathed a warm smile upon her, "I'm glad to see you can still be reasonable. Your temper can drive you but be careful of where it drives you."
"I was thinking of travelling to the Hall of Justice to see if they need me," Anna informed her.
"To prove yourself, you mean," Inza clarified.
Anna sighed for the second time, "Again."
"Have faith. They will see your heart for what it is. Keep your heart pure and they will have no reason to doubt you," Inza advised.
Anna nodded, "So noted. Now, I really need to change."
"I won't keep you then," Inza walked away. She returned to the scrying room and decided to watch Anna for a while. Her pupil was still volatile and might need some direction. She felt guilty that she almost wished for a crisis so Anna could prove herself to her teammates.
John and the Flash arrived at the teleporter to find the Chief waiting with a note and a Justice of the Peace. The Justice had been on call for the entire week, getting paid ten thousand dollars a day so she'd been more than happy to wait. The Chief had the proper coordinates and scanned the area to make certain there was a clear landing site.
Three blue flashes later, they were at a clearing beside a lake. The autumn colors dominated the trees and the mountain in the near distance was already partially covered with snow. The temperatures were brisk but their uniforms were insulated against hot and cold. The Justice put on the thick down jacket she'd been holding.
She looked concerned, "Does anyone know which state we're in?"
"I could look it up," Flash said, "Why?"
"Mr. Lord chose me because I have licenses in multiple states but if we're in the Rockies I'm out of my jurisdiction," she said.
"We're in the Appalachians," John assured her.
"How do you know?" she wondered.
"The trees," John said, "If this were the Rockies we'd be mostly surrounded by coniferous forest. This is a deciduous forest."
"You're certain?" she wanted to know.
"We can pull up Google maps and show you," Flash cheerfully offered.
"That's all right. I think we're good," she said and sought out a stump to place her bag upon.
Flash and Green Lantern shared a look that said, paper pushers.
Several more blue flashes delivered J'onn, Superman, Blackhawk, and Galatea. Superman was keeping his distance from the Argoan and she looked hurt.
John asked, "Why are you all here?"
"I believe you are getting married," J'onn dryly replied.
"Shayera invited us," Superman explained, "All of us, though I don't know why."
Blackhawk extricated himself from Galatea's grasp and marched over and confronted Superman, "I think we need to have a little talk."
"Anytime," Superman puffed up.
"The tree line?" Blackhawk suggested. Superman hesitated and Blackhawk motioned towards the desired location, "After you. I insist."
They stepped aside and had a little chat. Flash joined the group and they all moved closer to Galatea.
"What're they saying?" Flash whispered.
Tea looked over t him and he looked surprised, "What? You've got the super ears."
"Blackhawk is giving him a lecture on common courtesy. Now he…oh my!" Galatea was suddenly shocked.
"What?" Flash was drooling.
"He just threatened to shove a chunk of kryptonite so far up Superman's ass that his eyeballs will glow," she reported. They all looked at her and she got defensive, "What? He said it. I'm just telling you what's going on."
"Here they come," J'onn warned them.
They separated and Blackhawk grinned as he approached, "Listening in?"
"Us? Of course not," Galatea said a little too quickly.
"You're a lousy liar." He said and leaned in and kissed her.
Another flash interrupted the moment and Batman appeared. He looked thoroughly put out. John greeted him.
"I didn't expect you, not after you ducked out of the party last night," John admitted.
"Your bride can be very…persuasive," Batman said tersely, "Especially when she has your wife with her."
Superman blanched, "I didn't have anything to do with it."
"Humph," Batman retorted.
Two more flashes appeared. Diana looked regal in a simple sky blue cotton dress. Shayera wore a backless gown of white satin and a lace bodice. John's jaw dropped.
"You look…my God you look so beautiful." John was beside himself, "I had no idea…"
Shayera wore a victorious grin, "Earth custom holds that the groom doesn't see the bride in her dress until the wedding."
She shot a look Diana's way, "Or so I've been told."
"She's right," John chuckled, "I just never thought about it. I feel seriously underdressed now."
"Don't you dare change," Shayera commanded, "I love a man in uniform."
John grinned, "I'm yours then."
"Is everyone ready then?" the Justice asked.
John moved Shayera to a picturesque spot between two trees next to the lake. He spoke to her in whisper, "This is where you went after you left the League, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Shayera confirmed it.
"Why here?" he wondered. It seemed to him it would be a place filled with bad memories.
"This moment wouldn't be happening if I hadn't come here," Shayera offered as an explanation. Seeing John was still skeptical she elaborated, "It was here that I decided I wanted to keep on living. I didn't know what kind of life I could have on Earth after everything that had happened but I knew I wanted one."
John didn't like the sound of 'wanted to keep on living'. What was the alternative? He could only think of one thing and that prospect chilled his soul. Shayera was beginning to share her experiences. That was obvious. Their present endeavor was the ultimate shared experience.
"Something else on your mind, Lantern?" she asked while wearing a wry smirk.
"You invited Blackhawk?" he asked.
She nodded, "He's been there for me if you couldn't be. He was there for us when it counted the most."
"I'm not arguing with any of that but maybe he shouldn't have invited Galatea. It's already proven to be a problem," John informed her.
Her eyes were composed of emerald fire as they flashed, "I invited Galatea."
John looked like he'd just slipped in a quagmire and didn't know how to get out, "I just…"
"Made an assumption," Shayera unhappily finished for him, "Look, Superman can go eat his cape. Tea's here and she's staying. I'm going to give her a chance even if no one else will."
"Okay," John agreed.
"That was awfully fast, John. Are you serious about this?" Shayera wanted to know.
"Completely. We offered her a shot when she joined the League. I'm not backing down from that. She still deserves her chance…just like you did," he assured her.
She went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, "Okay. We can get married now."
John called out to the Justice, "Can we do it here?"
She walked over and smiled, "We can do it wherever you want as long as we stay on the eastern seaboard."
"We're good right here," Shayera assured her.
Flash suddenly appeared at John's side, "Got your back, buddy."
Diana met Shayera and took her side. The others formed a semicircle and watched intently as the ceremony began.
The Justice got the legalities out of the way and then used the common recitation of being gathered together to bring the man and woman together. She gave a warning that such bonds weren't to be entered into lightly. She then turned it over to the couple as they pledged their vows to one another. John went first.
"Shayera Hol, when I first met you I thought you were brash, impulsive, reckless, and antisocial. As I got to know you I discovered that these things were true. I also found out that you were intelligent, caring, loyal, and that you were scared of humans. You were afraid that they'd reject you and you'd be alone for the rest of your life," John said, "Because of situations beyond your control you felt the need to reject us and go out on your own. I don't fully know what happened during those days but you came back. Despite my supposedly moving on, I couldn't help but be thrilled by your return. Years later, after I'd made many mistakes, we became a couple again and all of the hopes and dreams of the first time we were together could suddenly come true."
John continued, "We've gone through indescribable happiness, searing pain, heart wrenching tragedy, and shared unstoppable hope. What I've learned through all of these things is that my life is incomplete without. There's a theory that we're star-crossed lovers destined to be together throughout time. I don't know if I completely buy into it, but for this life at least I know it's true."
John motioned for Flash to hand over the ring. It was a simple gold band. That choice had been made at Shayera's behest. Anything else would get destroyed in combat. He'd never released her hand throughout his saying his vow and she spread her fingers so he could slip the ring on.
"I promise to always be there for you, do believe you even when everything and everyone says I should doubt you, and I will love, honor and cherish you," John slipped the ring on.
He noticed that her eyes were brimming with tears over his pledge. She had one to make as well, ""John Stewart, when I first met you I thought you were arrogant, self important, and a general pain in the ass. But that wasn't all of you. Despite coming from a parochial planet like Earth, you were open minded and would try anything, even the bars on the third moon of Galtos."
"You stood by me when all of the other Leaguers, except Flash, would ignore me or be offended by my reluctance to socialize. You wanted to know me, the real me, the one that hid behind Hawkgirl's mask. I shared everything I could, or believed I could. I had a few hard choices to make and when I made them I thought I'd lost you forever," she took a deep breath. Self revelation wasn't her strong suit but she and John had mutually agreed on the types of vows they wanted to give one another so she pressed on, "I learned some things and was forced to survive on my own and all that did was teach me how much I wanted to be with you. But that wasn't to be for a few years. The longest wait of my life."
"Then you asked me to marry you and I was the happiest person alive, in this life or any other. Then we were told we couldn't marry and then Max pulled off a miracle and here we are," Diana handed John's ring to her waiting hand, "I love you, John, enough for multiple lifetimes. I promise to stand by you, to have your back in every situation, to defend you, support you, and to fight beside you no matter the nature of the threat."
She held the ring in front of John's hand, "I also promise to love, honor, but not to obey."
John chuckled as the gold band slid onto his finger. He pulled her close and leaned down so she wouldn't have to stand on tip toes as they kissed.
Flash cheered and rally barked. John came up for air and Shayera got a wicked grin going and she tossed her bouquet to Galatea. The Argoan blushed.
"Your turn," Shayera commanded.
The Justice took them aside and they finished the legal documents. They were put in a protective sleeve and John carried them. They all huddled together and called for a transport. A massive blue flash whisked them away.
They reappeared in the Hall. Shayera went to the locker room and stripped out of her dress. She put it in her locker and put her armor on. She'd left her largest suitcase in front of the locker. No one had touched it. She knew because she inspected the booby traps and they hadn't been tripped.
Wheeling the luggage out to the paddock behind the Hall she met up with John. He was talking to Blackhawk and Galatea. Galatea saw Shayera and gushed her thanks at being invited.
Shayera smiled, "Remember that when you two get married."
Galatea's smile was a shy one, "I will. I promise."
John looked to Shayera, "I suppose you want to travel under your own power?"
"Where are we going?" she wondered.
"First?" he impishly asked.
"Of course," she retorted.
"Barbados," he said.
Her smile brightened, "Oh really? But won't there be a ton of tourists?"
"It's a private island," John revealed.
Her eyes went wide, "How?"
"Thank Max. It's a little retreat he keeps on hand to reward employees. There's eight bungalows altogether." John explained.
"And we're alone?" she was still in shock.
John looked uncomfortable, "No, the other bungalows will be occupied. There's an activities director that coordinates doing anything you want."
"And if we become the star attraction?" she wondered.
"We tell them to respect our privacy?" he suggested.
Shayera chuckled and patted the mace clipped to her belt, "Don't worry. I've got crowd control."
"Just don't hurt them," John implored.
"Do you honestly think I would resort to violence?" she asked in horror.
"Yes," he said adamantly.
She laughed, "You know me too well. C'mon Lantern. It's a long flight and daylight's burning."
John used his power ring to grab the luggage and they lifted off. Galatea and Blackhawk waved farewell and then went off on their own business. J'onn watched from the garden. Fortunately for the League, Galatea seemed to expect resistance to her membership. She was brushing off the occasional slight. The pain that these caused was plain to J'onn but she maintained a careful façade. As a former predator she knew the value in hiding weakness. J'onn just hoped that this particular predator would stay tamed and not be unleashed.
