A/N: I change this poem so many times that it does not even rhyme any more. This is set five years later, and it is after Aqualad 'betrayed' everyone but before the whole Artemis thing. Oh, there's a bit of gore in this. Just a bit. Lot of arteries.

Pairing: AqualadxSuperboy

Chapter 12: I love the dreams we share

It has been eleven years, five months, two weeks, and four days since Connor and Kaldur first met.

Sometimes, when training the new recruits, Kaldur likes to tell stories about their first missions. When he was 'Aqualad' and Connor was 'Superboy.' He always points out that finding Superboy was the equivalent of a human's "love at first sight." The boys make fake vomit noises but secretely grin at their fortune, and the little girls swoon. They hope one day, they can find someone like Kaldur to love them.

It has been three months, one week, and six days since he proposed.

And by 'he,' Connor means himself. Because after ten plus years of being together (minus the year Kaldur was a 'traitor'), Connor decides that maybe it is time to settle down. Each had establish themselves as a respectable hero, and Connor's human DNA had kick in to a point that Connor was aging at a semi-respectable rate (still slower than an average human but fast enough that he is no longer jailbait). The final straw was when Connor had told him, the night he proposed, he was not willing to lose Kaldur again. Some people say a ring and a piece of paper means nothing, but to Connor, it meant everything. He was half-human and he wanted a real, human marriage.

It has been three weeks since their wedding.

They had two weddings, of course, and one was more of a civil ceremony if anything. By Atlantean law, Connor was already married to Kaldur when he got the tattoo (a fact that Connor could have killed Kaldur for but was far too happy when he learned it meant less paperwork). Kaldur, himself, was proud of the turnout. While it was a small ceremony involving only Kaldur and Connor's closest companions, the typical Atlantean traditions made it a splendor. It was gorgeous, and Kaldur has only ever looked happier the day they reunited. The second was done at the Kent Farm, and was filled with paparazzi and a guest list filled with strangers. Hell, Connor was happier to see Lex Luthor at the wedding than Cat whatsherface.

Politics.

Its been two hours since they arrive in Hawaii.

Since their wedding, Fate was not kind to them. Within the first three weeks of their marriage, villains took their holy matriomony as a cue to start attacking full force. Kaldur theorized that over the years, villains have gotten dumber over time (kids these days, Connor complained) if they thought Connor and Kaldur would be less incline to bash their heads in once they were married. Within their second week of marriage, Connor went on a full-fledge rant. Did it ever occur to them that maybe interupting their honeymoon fifteen times was going to make them more likely to hurt them rather than less? When holiday season came around, the two decided to give up, and spend Christmas with their conjoined families. Both were fine with the circumstances. What could they do?

Nightwing disagreed. And like always, the primadonna must always have his way, Connor sneered. Yet even his obvious eye rolls could not hide his thankfulness. With the gift of three pre-paid cards (all with an alarming amount of money on them), he suggested they take a few days off together in Hawaii: where the snow never lands.

Any other time, Kaldur would have passionately refuse any luxurious donation from Dick. However, in the superhero business, alone time was a rarity as they got older. He reluctantly accepted the wedding gift, while predicting he would regret the act of generousity. He happily stood corrected, however, when he saw Connor's wide eyes at their arrival, and his awestruck gaze made every stifled argument worth it. He later recanted any poor thought he had of his former leader. He always enjoyed the Pacific, and it was a great time to put his plan into place.

They immediately made way to the Wayne's beach house on the farther part of the island. It was a gift from Batman, who told them to use it wisely, with a wink and grin to boot. Connor was pretty sure half the guests in the room had a stroke at that moment, and he wonder what would happen if Bruce had been in costume.

He stops that train of thought.

Because neither of them wanted to rent a car, call a taxi, or basically travel using any wheeled vehicle, the two opted to swim. The swim to the house is amazing, and while Connor is not nearly as an adept swimmer as Kaldur, he enjoys the journey. Hawaii's fauna and flora is an added treat to their week in paradise. Upon arriving, Connor is introduce to the friendliest sea turtles, a few sharks (who kept this distance after a glare from Kaldur), and few monk seals who became oddly attached to Connor. Kaldur quickly shooed them away.

"It is not a good idea for them to get too attached to humans."

"Why?"

"Because it is often those with good intentions that cause the most harm."

Connor did not respond.

The Wayne beach house is a vacation home reserved for only close family and friends of the Waynes. The structure reflected this. In comparison to Bruce Wayne's more lavish homes, the Hawaiian beach house is private, locked away from civilization. It has two stories, four bedrooms, a beautiful kitchen and living room, and overview of the ocean. The home was simplistic in its design, no outlandish ornaments or tapestries hanging on the walls, and sat on top of a cave leading to the ocean.

"It's perfect," Kaldur exclaims, a rare outburst from the stoic Atlantean. He kisses the top of Connor's head as he headed to their rooms to check on their luggage. Dick had promised to send them ahead of time. Connor nods absentmindedly, and heads over to the balcony. The view of the ocean is amazing, bright blue instead of the deep sea green he is use to in New England. The winds had settled on a calm breeze, strong but still light. The sun burned, but not furiously like it would in the mid-west of Kansas in the summer. To top it off, it is the middle of winter and he could not see a speck of snow. Connor is sure this is heaven.

When Kaldur finds him, he has already been dozing off.

"There's so much light here," Connor claims, with a grin of approval. The warm rays of the summer sun showers his skin, activating his Kryptonian DNA so that it literally glows. Connor closes his eyes, content as a cat wrapped in a soft blanket.

Kaldur smiles gently, and wraps his arms around Connor. "If I knew you liked it this much, I would have brought you here years ago," Kaldur pauses. "Outside of missions, of course."

Connor shrugs lazily, and snuggles closer. Kaldur continues, after a few moments of contemplation.

"Do you really like it here?"

Connor pretends not to care, but his little smile says it all. "It's paradise, isn't it? Remind me to thank Dick when we get home."

"Or when we visit."

Connor opens his eyes, a raise eyebrow in place and suspicion in his gaze.

Kaldur smiles nervously. "The islands are beautiful place to live. It never snows either, nor does it get too cold. I know how poorly the cold affects your health. A few years ago, there was a minor case of hail but that happens once every blue moon. The water is the warmest in the Pacific. And the natural life is amazing. We could even bring Wolf. Well, we might have to him. The laws are a bit strict on that, but it shouldn't be too hard."

"Are you trying to make a point, Kaldur?" Connor teases, half-seriously, half-jokingly.

"How would you like to live here?"

Connor stares at Kaldur, and Kaldur stares back. Kaldur's eyes are anxious but strong and steadfast. He is honest, and Connor adores that look with all his heart.

"It's cut off from civilization. The nearest land mass is over two thousand miles away," Connor pointed out.

"You can fly now, and I can swim anywhere," Thank you Lex. It was actually a thoughtful wedding gift, when not thinking about the repercussions and the obvious evil intent involved. "Besides, we will be closer to more nations. I say the states have far too many heroes already."

"What about our friends?"

"They already live in different cities. Why not follow their example?"

"What about Atlantis? I thought you wanted us to live there for a few weeks before we found a place."

"It is not too far away, and we just found a place, I believe."

"What about-?"

"I love you," Kaldur exclaims, interupting any other argument Connor could have. "We are married and deserve our own lives. Because one day, I want to raise a family with you in our own home. I want to grow old with you at your exceedingly slow rate," Kaldur jokes, "I want to walk around in our secret identities and tell everyone that you are my husband."

Connor is quiet, and Kaldur worries if he came on too strong. It is an issue they avoided when they got married, and now it is biting him in the ass. He is about to ask Connor to take some time to consider it while they enjoyed their belated honeymoon, before Connor pulls him into an overwhelming kiss.

"Yes," Connor says after awhile. "Yes, let's live here."

Kaldur stops breathing.

"Are you sure?"

Connor shrugs but the smile is there nonetheless. "We're already married, and I like it here. And...did you mean what you said? About children?"

Kaldur pulled Connor into a hug. "I did, every word. I meant it when we got married, and I mean it now."

"Imagine the life they would have. Two superhero parents that would not let them get away with anything."

"They'll have your eyes. Your perfect blue eyes."

"I kind of fond of gray, myself."

Kaldur shook his head in disagreement. "Our child will be far more blessed to have your traits than mine. You are a gem amongst lifeforms. I am a mere soldier."

"You are a great warrior, an amazing leader, and loyal beyond all comprehension."

"And you are all that and more."

"Well, that's all assuming we're using the cloning technology. How about adopting?" Connor suggests, realizing they were getting ahead of themselves. Despite Kaldur's little prank, he is pretty sure that neither of them could bear children.

"Any child would be bless to have you as a father," Kaldur praise immediately. Before any more compliments could be traded, Kaldur tightens his hold on Connor, as if he was afraid to let him go. The skies start to darken, and nightfall would come in a few hours. Kaldur felt something in the air, and Connor knew exactly what it was.

"I love you," Connor whispers to him, before Kaldur thinks about letting go.

Kaldur smile into Connor's shoulders. He loves it when he says that. Connor hardly ever said it, in fact, Kaldur probably cannot remember the first time he heard those words. "You do know how happy your words make me."

"Of course I do."

"I mean, I've waited so long to hear you say it. Even at our wedding-"

"I never said it," Connor interupts, a gentle smile accompaning his face. He softly pulls away from Kaldur's arms.

"Well, I'm sure you did-"

"No," Connor protests. He pushes Kaldur away when the older man tries to get closer. Looking deep into his eyes, Connor spoke again. His face was smiling but his eyes were blank as the dead sea. "I never said it to your face. I'm sorry Kaldur, this must be really hard for you."

Kaldur grew confused, "But I'm sure...how could you...after all these years?"

Connor shook his head, "You don't understand Kaldur..." He lightly brush his palm against Kaldur's cheek and smiles sadly. Slowly, Connor's fingers dissipated into dry sand, blown away by the Pacific wind. He stepped away. His form disintegrated into the air, and Kaldur could only watch in horror. He desperately tries to grasp onto the fading figure only to watch him slip out of his hands.

"No, no, no! NO!"

"I never said it because this isn't real."

Kaldur could not control his tears. He is crying. He is dead, and no one is going to mourn. He watch the remains of Connor's dopplegangers speak.

"This is only a dream."

Kaldur wakes up to a battleground. Half of his men are dead or wounded, with their innards spilling out and their blood contaiminating the floors. Disgusting, Kaldur thought through his headache. One man attacks him with an enchanted dagger and Kaldur, in his misery flips the dagger on him and stabs through his spine. He recognize the man as one of his own, and realizes that he has encountered a traitor. They were all traitors. In the center of the battlefied laid a human sorcerer who they picked up from a ravaged city a few weeks ago. Apprently, this whole fiasco was his plot. Scheming bastard.

Taking up a weapon, his minions watch as Kaldur slaughters all those who come his way-some of whom were his own men. A good deal of them are human, and Kaldur did not wonder how the sorcerer manage to get so many to their headquarters. Some are Atlantean. Some are his own men who wanted to try overthrow the big boss. He did not worry too long, the familiar species made them easier to kill. When he got to the sorcerer, the man had the nerve to look afraid-as if he did not understand that he had no chance of winning against him.

"Was it you?"

The man looked confused, and Kaldur responded by stabbing an artery in his left arm. Some watch is awe at the amount of blood it produce. He remembers, during a biology lesson by his father (not his real one, the liar) that humans are delicate. There are some arteries, that if cut, can spray blood several feet across a room.

"Was it you who gave me the dream?"

Ah! The look of recognition arrives on the traitor's face. It was then Kaldur knew it is his crime. He needed no other answer.

Kaldur is brutal, and even his henchmen (horrible, weak men who have raped, raided, and slaughtered for much less) are disturbed by the display. His father (the sick son of a bitch) supervises his actions with sense of pride and, almost laughingly, shock. Kaldur is a tactician as calm and cool as the Arctic, and yet here he is, pounding into the traitor as if he is a child's toy.

The man screams for mercy, and Kaldur pretends not to hear. He pretends not to enjoy it as much as he did. Kaldur knows a man's body better than anyone else in the lair, and knows exactly which artery to slit for the most blood, which nerve to hit for the loudest screams, and where to rip apart for the most gore. The man is dying. His arm is sliced off like a piece of meat.

When he finishes, the villain (well, aren't they all? Kaldur thinks sardonically) lays lifelessly on the ground of their lair.

"He doesn't even look human anymore," one of his men whispers, awestruck and terrified by their leader's son behavior (Might as well be their leader, now). The man quickly wilts at the glare Kaldur directs towards him. In a solid move, Kaldur grabbed the corpse by the neck (Arm? Stomach? Spine? No one could tell.) and tossed it to the side in a careless manner.

"Dispose of it and any traitors that come across your paths. I hear Atlantis makes a fine dump."

He plays the villain far too well for his liking. Once Atlantis sees what they do to their own men, it will not be long until they worry about their own lives.

The men follow his orders immediately, hanging on his every word as if he is a god. He moves into the hallways of his headquarters and is accosted by his father within seconds of his departure.

"Marvelous work, my son," His father praises, "There is not a man in that room who would not think twice about betraying us now."

"Your words are too kind, father. I only did what was necessary," he responds respectfully. There is not an ounce of honestly in his tone, and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

The Black Manta casts his eyes over his son in an amused, but rather suspicious gaze.

"What exactly did that scum-sucking sorcerer make you see?"

Kaldur contemplates the lie he could tell and the truth he could avoid. Finally, he walks away without a response, making it clear to his father that he this was not a story he cares to share.

Fortunately, the dead body is enough to stop any further questions.

Kaldur, in his report to Nightwing, would later disclaim that the traitor and his men died of an accident with their weapons. They got into the machine's interiors and were grind by the screws. No one would doubt the validity of his statement. And as long as Connor is in the shadows about their plan, he would not be there to call out his lie.

When Connor wakes up the next morning, tucked away at Mt. Justice, his eyes are glistening with tears. He is crying and his eyes are red when goes to eat breakfast. He is asked if he had a bad dream, and he would lie and say it was nothing.

For those who read Tunnel of Love, I feel like I should warn you guys that I am not starting on that story until I finish this one. And you guys all know how long this one took. So no promises. North Shore was where I had in mind for the location, because if you go to a specific area in North Shore, its basically cut off from civilization. Like its ghost town empty. Also, I didn't realize that Superboy traveled to Hawaii until half-way through this chapter so haha.