A/n. The final chapter! Thanks to all the reviews, this is my most successful story on this site so far! Read, review, enjoy!
The aliens had retreated, for reasons unknown, and the police in the room rebarricaded the door. George was kneeling next to Sarah, taking her pulse as Casey laid a wet cloth on her forehead. They didn't know why they had retreated; the humans weren't putting up that much of a fight, but they were willing to take any bit of luck thrown their way. "Come on, Sarah, wake up."
No one had any clue of the danger that was presenting itself downstairs at that very moment…
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Taking care of the last of the tripods, Superman turned to the battle weary heroes. "John, Diana, Bruce, J'onn, Ollie, Conner, head back to the precinct, get them out of there, now. We'll go after the cloud machine."
The teams split up, half heading north, the other half heading south west. Diana was thinking, By Hera, I hope we get there in time.
Superman, as he flew full speed towards the cloud machine, pursed his lips. I hope they get there in time.
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A loud crash, and half of the officers in the room spun to face a broken window, guns drawn and pointed. "Whoa, calm down." Green Lantern held up his hands as he flew through the window, followed by a green bubble, containing Batman and the Green Arrows. "Is everyone alright?"
"Sarah collapsed from exhaustion." Casey stood from where she looked over Sarah.
"What about the other people in the building?" Wonder Woman asked as she flew behind Green Lantern. Martian Manhunter followed.
Cragen took a deep breath. "We don't know. When the aliens attacked we barricaded ourselves inside."
"We need to get everyone out of here. They've set explosives somewhere in the building; if you saw how the other three buildings went down last time, you'd understand the urgency." Lantern said. "I'll get you all down to the ground; the others will check for other friendlies hidden around the place. J'onn?"
"I sense pockets of human resistance in three other places. The rest of the building is devoid of life." He replied as his eyes glowed yellow.
Goren and Eames relaxed their positions barricading the door. "That's not a good thing, is it?"
"They wouldn't blow the building up with them inside. We can't sit here and discuss this. Hop on." Green Lantern created a disc on the floor with his ring; the initiated detectives hopped on without a thought; everyone else just stared.
Cragen took charge. "Hop on, officers, unless you want to be blown up."
One look, and they were all tentatively stepping onto the disc. The other members of the League quickly unbarricaded the door, spreading out with J'onn's instructions to find the other pockets of resistance. J'onn himself gathered Sarah in his arms, carrying her himself out the window and down to the ground, a safe distance away.
It was a matter of minutes before people started filing down the steps at the front of the building, towards the gathering of police officers who stood about a hundred yards away from the building. Superman and the cloud machine group approached after a few minutes further; the clouds had begun to clear up already. A few minutes later, the sixteenth precinct was engulfed in an explosion that sent dust careening down the street. It collapsed in a pile of rubble behind a green shield of energy, courtesy of Green Lantern.
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Sarah awoke to warm sunlight on her face and hard asphalt under her back; she gasped with pain as a burning lance stabbed through her head. It seemed the long month, and the two attacks from the White Martians, had finally caught up with her, in the form of a mind numbing migraine. "Shh… shh… don't try to move. You've had a long day." Olivia's soft voice filtered through her pain.
"Wha? I feel like hell. Some birthday…" Sarah slurred, opening her eyes just in time to see Olivia's eyebrows snap together.
"It's your birthday? Damn…" Olivia didn't seem to be able to find anything to say.
Sarah struggled as the female detective's firm hands tried to push her down; finally she managed to sit up before saying, "Don't worry. I'm fine. Birthday's probably over by now anyway. Got any water? Or panadol?"
Any answer was interrupted by the sound of dozens of guns being prepared to fire. "Hold it right there!" It was the tremulous voice from the speaker box at the military base.
Sarah sighed, still exhausted beyond words, as she glanced up at the smartly dressed man. "Now he decides to show up for the fun."
"Hands up! Everyone!" The military men surrounded them, even the ex-prisoners. Superman just rolled his eyes as the Justice League members all raised their arms, followed by the detectives, and all the uninitiated police Sarah was the only one left with her hands in her lap. The leader pointed his automatic weapon at her. "You too!"
"Sorry… can't." Her eyes threatened to flutter closed, but she made herself stay awake.
"Now!"
"Just calm down." Captain Cragen was speaking. "Calm down, you don't know the full story."
Sarah just blinked, head drooping slightly as she began to lose the battle to stay conscious. He'll shoot me. Superstitious bastard. But she didn't raise her arms. At this stage, with her shoulder injured from the White Martian attack, she quite literally couldn't.
"What's going on here, Sergeant?!" A voice from behind the now-prisoners barked. "I want an explanation at once!"
"G-General Garrol! B-but… she turned you into a creature!" Sarah saw him swallow hard as his gun wavered slightly. Turning her head slightly, she saw a man in his fifties, muscled, tanned with a soup strainer moustache.
"I was kidnapped, you incompetent fool! Those alien bastards replaced me with one of their own; this young lady just rescued us!" General Garrol's eyes were molten grey with fury. Sarah didn't know how he had gotten away from the hospital, but she was glad he had.
"S-sir?"
"Put the P-90 down, soldier!" the voice boomed, just as Sarah lost the fight to stay sitting. She fell back to the ground, her eyes staring up at the concerned face of Olivia, blocking her view of the clear blue sky. Her eyes crept shut. Finally, she gave into the darkness, her ears ringing lightly as Olivia shook her shoulder hurriedly, trying to wake her.
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Her bed was warm, her pillow soft. She felt the soft itch of a clean hospital gown and grimaced before opening her eyes. She wished she hadn't as the soft light assaulted her eyes; she clutched her head in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut as she rolled over, moaning softly. "Hey- you're up."
Green Arrow was sitting at her bedside; he didn't have his mask or hat on. Sarah gasped, her voice was hoarse and rasping when she spoke. "Arrow! Your mask- I- what about your secret identity?"
He just shrugged. "The mask was getting itchy; I normally don't wear it all day everyday. And me 'n Connor were getting sick of you calling us Senior and Junior. The name's Ollie. Oliver Queen."
Sarah scrubbed her face as she let him lift her into a sitting position. She flopped against the headrest. "Where are we?"
"Fort Lincoln; you're in the infirmary." He answered before stretching with a yawn.
"And how long have you been sitting there?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Not too long. You've been out for two days."
She winced. "Well, it's not the longest I've been unconscious for…"
"So, what were the nightmares about?" He asked nonchalantly.
Sarah scowled. "I don't rightly remember them, but I'd wager they were about the Sorrows. Mr I'm-An-Annoying-White-Martian-Son-Of-A-Bitch probably stirred them up again when they attacked me." She checked her reserves of the Gift, and noticed with shock that they were up to about halfway. Hag, why haven't you taken your payment yet?
Well, dearie, had I of taken my payment now you wouldn't have woken in time to see your boyfriend off home. They're leaving in three days; he's quite distressed that he might not be able to see you first.
He's not my boyfriend. Sarah muttered in reply; Green Arrow watched her carefully as her focus slowly returned to the room. "Speaking to one of your friends, kid?"
"Stop calling me kid, pops. And I wouldn't call the Hag a friend… although she did help us out of a tight spot back there." Sarah conceded.
"You helped us out of a tight spot back there." He corrected her. "So, what did your friend have to say?"
"Briar's heading back to Emelan in three days with his family and teachers. That means I have to get out of bed and say goodbye to him." And give him my answer. She added the last part silently.
"Things getting serious between you two?" Ollie asked, and Sarah scowled.
"Mind your own-" She was interrupted by a voice at the door.
"I see you're up." General Garrol commented dryly.
She smirked. "That I am. How are you General? You weren't ill treated by the invaders, were you?"
He shook his head. "They knocked us out with a gas; when I came to I was in a cage. They provided us with two meals a day; they were just keeping us alive to pump us for information, but they didn't ill treat anyone. We have you to thank for our rescue."
"And the rest of the League members. Let's not go giving me all the credit." Sarah muttered, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
"Whoa, kid, where do you think you're going?" Ollie frowned as he tried to help her lie back down.
Sarah shrugged him off. "I'm getting up. We should round up the League; I'd hate to overstay our welcome, and I don't want to worry Alanna anymore than I already have."
"You need more rest." He commented as she swayed.
Sarah looked at General Garrol as she snapped. "I do not. What have you been told about us all?"
"Everything Detectives Benson, Stabler, Fin and Munch told me. That you're from another dimension, that you've got magic, which I saw during the escape, all about your friends… Are you really from another dimension?" He asked.
"Yep. Now, where can I get some grub around here?" She asked, rubbing her hands together eagerly.
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"That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen." Sarah stared, unamused, at a television that had been set up in the operations centre of the Fort Lincoln base. "What the hell are they on about?"
The Flash had led her, protesting in futility, to the operations centre after lunch to 'see something hilarious'. What it turned out to be was a report on her and the other 'aliens', as they had been dubbed, regardless of their homeworld. Which, technically, they were, given the fact they didn't come from that version of Earth, but that didn't mean she had to sit through a detailed report of 'unconfirmed sightings' of other 'aliens', a report that lasted over an hour.
And their favourite subject was her. As the news report cycled back to repeat, Sarah groaned. A thirty-something brunette was speaking in a slightly nasal voice. "Sightings of the young woman that introduced herself as Sarah Gibson on the morning of the invasion have been reported as far away as South East Asia. While the US Military insists she is still recovering from the invasion on one of their bases, they will not tell us which base. Welcome Professor Griffiths of the Berkeley University, the country's foremost expert on Space Time, to speak about the validity of these newcomers' claims of origin."
"Hello Margarie, thanks for the introduction. Well, they claim to be from another dimension. According to every piece of research my colleagues and myself have done, that simply isn't possible. Whether they lied to us deliberately, or whether they just assumed this dimension was different to their own, according to the late Richard Feynmann's multiple history theory, it is far more likely they are from another version of Earth past the range of the visible universe, but still within this reality plane."
"So what you're saying, Professor, is that they lied to us. What could be their purpose here?"
"I honestly couldn't tell you; that's not my field of expertise."
"And their 'superpowers'. Can you shed some light on the matter?"
"Well, again, it's not my field of expertise, but if you've ever heard the old axiom 'any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic', then you'll understand my theory that they've hidden weapons on their bodies that create the appearance of 'superpowers'. Let's take a look at the footage of 'Superman' using his laser vision. It's obviously an implant in his retina-"
"But what about their leader, Sarah Gibson? She claims to have magic. We've also brought in a psychologist from the Manhattan Institute to discuss just what kind of person would run around in a costume to 'save the world'. Doctor?"
"Well, take young Miss Gibson. Unlike her friends, she doesn't wear a costume or a mask. They have a healthy dose of fear – fear for retribution from the victims of their vigilante activities. She has none. She most likely thinks she's invincible, can't be hurt. The way she approached the camera with an apathetic attitude towards the effect of her announcement suggests she's arrogant, she doesn't care how the news she delivers affects others-"
"This is bloody ridiculous." Sarah snorted. "Turn this crap off."
The Flash was grinning ear from ear. "I thought it was funny. They haven't been able to explain how I 'fake' my speed yet, but they're working hard on that one."
A voice cleared in the door way to the monitor room; they looked up to see General Garrol standing there with his arms crossed against his chest, an eyebrow raised. "The situation is getting out of hand. We've called a press conference for an hour from now; my superiors want to clear up the rumours floating around about you and your friends."
"I need to speak with ADA Novak, the detectives and Doctor Huang first." Sarah said immediately.
Garrol nodded. "They arrived ten minutes ago to visit you; they're in the mess hall at the moment. Have a statement ready."
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"So what do you want me to tell them?" Sarah began without preamble as she sat on the edge of the bench, next to the attorney and across from Munch.
"Tell who what?" Casey asked, scooting over a little to give her more room.
"The press. There's a press conference in an hour, and I need to know what to tell them if the question of how I know you all comes up. Do I tell them I just popped in the night before the invasion and convinced you to help, or do I tell them that I came here a couple of months ago to help out with the Carter problem?" Sarah elaborated.
"Crap." Was the first thing Elliot said.
Casey and Cragen shared a glance. "We need to play down your involvement in the Carter case; he hired a good defence attorney, if he finds out you were in contact with us around the time Carter was found and prosecuted he'll try to get the conviction thrown out. If they find out you were actually involved with the case, it'll work."
"So do you want me to do the whole 'no comment' thing?" Sarah asked, looking for a little more guidance.
Cragen grimaced. "Yeah, I don't think you should lie too much. If you think it'll bring up too many questions to answer, just say 'no comment'."
Sarah nodded. "Well, I better go get ready." She stood with a grunt and a wince; her left arm was in a sling and her head pounded in the fluorescent lights of the mess hall. "The General said something about someone providing proper clothes for me. I doubt he wants me on the news in a hospital gown."
Casey stood. "I'll come with you."
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"I wish they had comfortable clothes here." Sarah muttered, tugging at the blue, serviceable blouse that had been provided for her. It didn't sit right with her heavily bandaged right arm, which hadn't healed much at all during her rest in the infirmary, and it looked stupid with the sling on her other arm. Coupled with her blouse, the outfit was completed with a set of black pants and black shoes – with a heel. "And what is with these shoes? If I wanted to wear heels, I'd've asked for them. But I asked for boots."
Casey grinned at her, shaking her head. "They're only an inch high. And you need to look nice for the television. Boots aren't nice."
"They are too. You've seen the boots on all these army folk, nice and shiny. Why can't I-" She was cut off by a man in an army uniform at the door.
"Forgive me, ma'am, but I've been asked to escort you both to the press conference." He explained with a salute.
"Aren't you only supposed to salute someone in the military?" Sarah asked curiously as she followed him out the room, with Casey on her heels.
He stopped, surprised. "I assumed you were, ma'am, being that you helped stop the invasion. I assumed you were involved with the military in the other dimension of Earth… I thought it'd be appropriate to salute you."
Sarah shook her head. "I'm not a military woman. I'm involved with the King's Own, but that has nothing to do with any version of Earth, and I'm more of a part time commander with that. So, while the respect is appreciated, there's no need to salute me. Just call me Sarah."
"Private Carl Samson." He nodded down the corridor. "Perhaps we should continue."
They continued down the hall, and were joined by the Justice League members and the rest of Sarah's native allies at the door to the outside world. When they opened the door, they were greeted by the flashes of dozens of cameras. Sarah grimaced as she noticed the reporters turn their attention from General Garrol, who was giving an address, to their group. "This'll be fun." She muttered, and she felt Wonder Woman's comforting hand on her shoulder.
"You don't deal with the press often, do you?"
"Just once, and that was a bloody circus." She replied as they took seats on a dais in front of a screen with the US Army emblem emblazoned across it.
General Garrol beckoned to her with one finger before turning to the microphone. "Members of the press, may I introduce Sarah Gibson, who will explain in more detail how she came to be in this dimension-" He glared at a reporter who looked about ready to object to Garrol's use of the word, and continued. "And why her and her colleagues assisted with the White Martian invasion."
Before replacing him at the podium, she muttered the Superman, "They're calling it the White Martian invasion now?"
"The press can't seem to distinguish between the aliens from outside of our solar system and the White Martians." He explained, and shrugged. "Whatever sells papers."
She replaced General Garrol at the podium and stared down at a sea of reporters, all watching her with microphones outstretched, pens to notepads or voice recorders straining towards her. Gulping, she took a deep breath. "Um… Hi. Well. I suppose you all have a heap of questions to throw our way, but how about a bit of background first…"
She glanced down the dais for support, and saw Ollie grinning at her. He winked, and she returned the smile before continuing. "Anyway, perhaps it's best to start from the beginning, and this is going to sound like I'm totally self-obsessed or something, but really, I'm not, and I hate telling this story, it gets so tedious and I'm rambling so I might as well get started." Sarah didn't risk looking at Ollie again; she knew he was smirking, almost like she knew Black Canary had slapped him on the arm under the dais and told him to behave.
"Anyway, and you'll find that I like that word a lot, one night, almost three and a half years ago, I was told I was the chosen Messenger for the Gods. Basically, that means I run errands for them. You know, help stop evil megalomaniacs from taking over the world, try and protect the children of the Chief of State of a galaxy-spanning government, stop ancient creatures from reeking havoc on an unsuspecting version of Earth... Recently, I went on a mission for the Gods to the Justice League's version of Earth, where I met this lot." She jerked her thumb at the costumed vigilantes. "When I returned to Tortall, one of the Gods sent me here to stop the invasion-"
"I did no such thing." Mithros' booming voice echoed through the army lot. "You came of your own accord."
"You might as well have sent me." Sarah snapped back; he hadn't appeared in human form, so she glared at the sky. "You knew I wouldn't refuse the moment you told me about it. Don't even pretend like you didn't manipulate me into coming here."
"I did not need to manipulate you. You came to protect your friends from the invasion force." His disembodied voice replied, and she scowled.
"Oh just shut up already." She growled. Speaking into the microphones once again, she continued. "Anyway, when I found out there was an alien invasion, this lot-" She gestured once again to the Justice League. "Offered to help. Considering they have extensive experience dealing with aliens, both peaceful and aggressive, I accepted. Which brings Superman to his part of the story, Supes?"
She stormed back to her seat, grumbling about Gods who 'pop in' at the wrong time, as the Man of Steel stood to make his statement. "Sarah helped the Justice League out by dealing with some creatures called the Three Sorrows. They create famines, epidemics and wars wherever they go, and Sarah had the tools to defeat them. Wonder Woman and a member of the League who couldn't be present to help with the invasion, due to injuries, returned with Sarah to her home dimension, where the God Mithros informed them of the upcoming alien invasion. Wonder Woman offered the services of the League, and Sarah accepted, before coming here to gather information which we could use to determine the kind of alien attacking. When we found out they were using much the same ploy they used in our dimension, we knew it was the White Martians, and acted accordingly."
"But how did she know the Detectives from the Special Victim's Unit?" A man called from the crowd.
Superman glanced at Sarah, who glanced at the detectives. Leaning into the smaller microphone in front of her, Sarah spoke clearly. "No comment."
This sent up a roar of questions; Sarah gritted her teeth. "Look, it's embarrassing. I was scouting for raiders, because they were attacking my fief… which, for those of you not fluent in King Arthur's court, is like a province. Anyway, they ambushed me, and I ended up falling about five feet out of a tree onto my head. To save my life, the Gods sent me to an alley here, in this version of New York. Anyway, when I was taken to the hospital Detective Benson was called in because there were signs of abuse; or in other words, the doctors saw healed fractures and a bunch of scars and jumped to the conclusion that I had been abused, or something. So I met Detective Benson about four months ago, and explained about my… abilities. Which is why I was able to convince them to help when this situation arose. Now, I'll not answer any other questions on the matter."
"How many raiders-"
"What do you do in Tortall-"
"Can we just stick to the issue at hand – like who we are and what we're doing here? Or, the fact that the news reports have been saying that we aren't from another dimension, and that the rest of the League have superpowers based on technological implants, not mutation or are of a different species?" Green Arrow snapped.
"According to Feynmann's theory of Multiple Histories-" Another random reporter started, but Batman interrupted him in a rare display of emotion – annoyance.
"In our dimension Feynmann's theory of Multiple Histories was disproved. Classical Mechanics, which he used to determine his theory, falls apart at speeds faster than the speed of light. Use Quantum Mechanics if you want to solve more of your scientific mysteries." His face was unemotional, what could be seen under the cowl.
Sarah grinned widely. Trust the Batman to let the cat out of the bag about a scientific theory or two. The next question made the smile disappear. "What? You think we're here to take over the world? Okay, if this is all this press conference is going to be, I have things to do." She stood, for all intents and purposes ready to stalk back into Fort Lincoln, pick up her weapons, and take the Justice League back. "For the record, I hate press conferences. When my abilities were revealed on my version of Earth, I was treated like a bloody circus freak, and I can tell you're all going to do that to me and my friends. So get over it, we're different, we're special, we're here to save your collective asses when push comes to shove. I have things to do, though, so until the next emergency…"
The others stood as well, following her lead. She turned back to the microphone, delivering one last statement. "Oh, and I'm not arrogant. I don't think I'm invincible, in fact I know I'm not. I've almost been killed a dozen times and it's but for the grace of the Gods that I'm still here to help save your sorry behinds. So stop psychoanalysing my behaviour on national television. I get enough of that crap from George. And don't worry, I'm outta here. Like I said, things to do, people to see, foreign diplomats to escort to Port Cayne and superheroes to return to their home dimension. Goodbye."
When they returned to the sanctity of the base, Ollie grinned at Sarah. "Well, you certainly need practice dealing with the media."
"Why?" Sarah muttered. "I don't intend on dealing with them frequently. I like to stay in Tortall, help manage my fief, fight of raiders, immortals, invading Scanrans… matchmaking grannies… I don't like being in the spotlight, forever having to explain my actions. I don't have to do that there. And hey, this is the first time I've had to deal with the press on a mission. Fair track record, one in seven."
"You really think so? That's what, fourteen percent?" Ollie asked Batman for confirmation of the number; he nodded in reply.
Sarah shrugged with a wince as they headed deeper into the base. "So?" She grunted as she managed to pull most of the injuries on her back with the indifferent gesture. "Gods, when I get home I'm spending the next three days in bed."
"Are you alright?" Casey asked, concerned.
The young knight nodded, leading the entourage into the infirmary room where all her belongings were being kept. "I'm just… tired. Really tired." She slumped into a chair and glanced at Superman and the other heroes she asked, "Are you lot all ready to get back to your own dimension?" At their nods she continued. "Good. We're leaving."
"Oh no you aren't." A voice from the doorway replied. "Sarah Gibson, we need to talk to you."
They all looked up to see a greying man, accompanied by two younger people, a brown haired man and a black haired woman. They each had badges out; General Garrol was standing, unhappily, behind them. "Miss Gibson, everyone, this is Special Agent Gibbs, and Special Agents Dinozzo and Officer David, of NCIS. They want to talk to Sarah about some suspicious murders."
The young woman watched with a bored expression on her face. "What does NCIS stand for, anyway?"
"Naval Criminal Investigative Services." Dinozzo replied, narrowing his eyes, before pulling out a manila folder with several photos out of his jacket. "What can you tell us about these?"
She straightened with a frown. They were pictures of charred bodies, with their bones literally fused together. Batman and Munch looked over her shoulder. "Assuming these weren't inflicted by some sort of high density energy source, like a nuclear reactor, they were inflicted by the Gift. And an uncontrolled one at that; whoever did this has serious anger management issues, and strength enough to be a real threat. Who are they? Where'd you find them?"
"They were Marines." Gibbs replied in his even voice, watching her closely. "They were found by the docks, by dockworkers who are now out on disability, undergoing therapy."
"I can imagine." Her voice was distant, and a frown creased her face. "Wait a minute, you think I had something to do with this?"
"Wow, boss, she is smart. Come on, we need to discuss this in our office. We have a jet waiting." Dinozzo moved forward, and Sarah shook her head.
"A jet? What, you lot work on the other side of the country?" At their nods, she shook her head. "Uh uh. I had nothing to do with this. I can help with the investigation and apprehension, but right now I have to get my friends home and deal with a situation I have back at my home." She stood, subtly shifting her weight to the balls of her feet.
David noticed, and smiled slightly. "Very good. I almost didn't see that."
"You're coming with us, Miss Gibson." Gibbs moved forward, drawing even with Dinozzo.
Sarah glanced around the room at the League members and her native allies. "I don't think so. I'm sure it's an offence to assault a 'Special Agent', but if you lay a finger on me you're gonna end up flat on your ass. Now, I am going home. And I will be back. I know well what an out of control mage can do; a few months back I was almost killed by one. And if in the few days that I'm back home, recuperating from the multiple injuries I've managed to obtain in the last week, someone else is killed by this rogue, then it's on my head. But right now, you are going to march yourselves off of this base, and stop bugging me. I'll be in touch."
Ollie was grinning ear to ear. Superman and Batman glared at Gibbs. The man looked as though he was considering drawing his weapon, before he nodded to his subordinates, handing a business card to General Garrol before leaving the room.
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"You are just letting her go?" Ziva demanded, gesturing back at the door they had just left. "Gibbs!" She exclaimed when she didn't receive an answer.
"Yeah, I am, Ziva." He replied. "We were outgunned in there. We wouldn't have stood a chance in hell if push had come to shove, and she made it very clear she wasn't gonna come with us."
"Yeah, did you want to end up like the photos, Ziva?" Tony added. "It reminds me of the time in-"
"Please, Tony, I don't want to hear anything about movies. With you, everything is a comparison to some block blaster or another." Ziva shook her head at the other agent.
"It's block buster. Buster. Not blaster." Tony corrected her through gritted teeth. Gibbs slowed just enough to give them both a good whack on the back of the head before continuing out of the fort and to the black car.
"Ziva, you're driving." He almost grinned as Dinozzo groaned.
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Sarah hugged Olivia tightly, with her right hand. "It was good to see you all again, even if the circumstances left something to be desired…"
She returned the hug just as tightly. "Me too, Sarah. Don't work too hard, and we'll see you next time."
"I'll try to visit sometime soon. Hopefully." She turned to Casey, and tugged the red haired lawyer into a hug, wincing as she jostled her shoulder. "See you next time."
"I'll go with you to Washington." The attorney promised. "You need proper representation, even if they're just going to speak to you about the murders. I'll call the DA and arrange for the time off. You're coming back in three days?"
"Yep."
"Alright. I'll sort out the transport issues. Just have a good rest."
Sarah grinned. "While it lasts. Thanks Case, see you then."
The League had performed cleanup duty during the time Sarah had rested; it had been three days since the foiled invasion, and as far as they could tell, all clusters of White Martians had been eliminated. Sarah turned to the League members. "Ready to go home?"
They nodded, and Sarah took the arm Wonder Woman offered as they all clasped hands. Giving a jaunty wave, Sarah smirked at General Garrol. "Here's the proof we're from different dimensions."
With that she turned the pendant on her necklace, and teleported everyone back to the Watchtower. Sarah didn't stick around for the greetings; she stopped only long enough to be introduced to Speedy properly. "Sarah, meet Mia. Mia, this is Sarah Gibson."
"We've met." Sarah grinned.
At the same time, Mia scowled. "You're the one that pushes that secret identity crap on me, and you just go blow my cover?"
"We blew our own, Mia, and if she ever came around she'd have to be blind not to see who you were." Connor replied.
"I suppose…" Mia sighed, before taking off her mask and sticking her hand out. "Great to properly meet you, Sarah. You been keeping Ollie out of trouble?"
Sarah snickered. "Trying to." She knew she'd said something right when Mia grinned. "I hope I didn't cause you too much trouble, taking him away from Star City."
"Nah, me 'n Arsenal actually got some work done, for once." The blonde grinned at Sarah, and the young knight returned it cheekily.
"Alright you two, I knew it was a bad idea introducing you. Speedy, don't you have someplace to be?" He glared pointedly.
The young girl sighed before looking despondently at Sarah. "Superhero by weekend; schoolgirl by day."
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Sarah was going to try to sneak back into the palace and sleep until morning; once again she had arrived at night time. Instead, as she walked to the palace gates, ready to bribe the guard into silence, the man called out loudly, "The Messenger returns!"
She scowled lightly before thanking him acidly and walking up to the palace. When she walked through the large wooden doors Alanna was walking down the corridor to greet her. Sarah scowled. "You've got to stop worrying about me. What's the time?"
"About two hours before midnight." Was the sharp reply. "And I'll never stop worrying about you when you run off on dangerous stunts like that every other day."
Sarah shrugged. "I guess I deserved that. But hey, we stopped the invasion. I guess I can handle a bit of criticism. As it is I'd rather handle my nice, warm bed after a cup of sleepy tea. I have a feeling I'm going to need it."
Alanna frowned. "What happened?"
Sarah shook her head as they continued down the corridor towards her room. "I'll tell you in the morning. I-" She paused, her mouth dropping as she saw Briar walking ahead of them, munching on an apple.
Alanna saw Sarah's expression and grinned wolfishly. "So… you and Briar, eh? Shall I call him over; you can kiss him hello."
Sarah shot a death glare at the red haired knight. "Don't you dare."
"Oh?" Alanna chuckled. "So, how long's it been going on for?"
Sarah sighed. "When I went on a walk after kicking Voelden's arse? He took me on a tour of the gardens and when he walked me back to my rooms he kissed me."
Alanna bit her lip to stop her from cackling as she watched the figure slinking along ahead of them. "How'd you react?"
Sarah replied drolly. "Not well. My jaw dropped and I rushed inside my room. When we were dragged along on the mission I made him wait until it was complete to give him any answer about my feelings for him… I just don't think it would work out; he lives too far away."
Alanna nodded thoughtfully. "Did you ever think you might be able to skip to and from Emelan like you do to and from dimensions?"
Sarah frowned. "I've never been there. I need to have memories and feelings of a place to transport there."
"You could try focusing on your feelings of Briar and see whether that works." The red head suggested, her voice a little too reasonable. Sarah thought she might be on the verge of laughing again.
Sarah sighed. "Laugh if you're going to laugh, my old knightmaster. Nothing's ever stopped you before. And we'll see whether or not that'll work. I just…" Sarah grunted in frustration. "I just really need a holiday."
Alanna couldn't resist. "You can holiday in Emelan."
Sarah had arrived at her door; she pushed it open with a sniff, pointedly ignoring Alanna's look of mirth. "I'm going to bed. I'll let you in later if you bring your sleepy tea." She closed the door in Alanna's face.
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Sarah opened the door, bleary eyed, to scowl at Thayet. "I'm tired, this had better be good."
The queen put her hands on her hips. "That's all you have to say for yourself?"
"Yep." Sarah sighed. "Oh, come in already. You know me; I'm a real bitc-bear when I've just woken up."
Thayet grinned. "I know. I just wanted to wish you a good morning, and see how you were faring. Alanna said you looked exhausted when you came in last night."
"I was." Sarah admitted. "Still am."
"So what happened?" Thayet asked, plopping herself down on Sarah's bed, a picture of an over-excited teenage girl looking for information on a crush.
"I'm not explaining it twice. What's the time?" Sarah asked.
"Almost lunch time." Was the response. "I'll organise something for lunch, and I'll send footmen out to get everyone together."
Sarah sighed. "Is that really necessary?"
"Everyone was really worried-"
"Right, right." Sarah grumbled. "And while you're at it can you organise some hot water? I want a bath."
She didn't want to mention that she had woken sweat soaked at least three times that night from nightmares that had overcome the sleepy tea Alanna had provided. Thayet left with a promise of sending a maid with hot water soon, and instructions to be at Jon's private dining room in three quarters of an hour.
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As the young knight strode towards the king's private dining room a hand looped around her elbow, and Briar drew even with her. His sisters walked past quickly, grins on their faces, as Sarah slowed down to match his pace. Rosethorn and the other teachers walked past, the older plant mage smacking Briar on the head on the way past.
"So." The young man began.
"So." Sarah answered in reply.
"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.
"Yep." She replied shortly.
"So…" He said again before smiling nervously. "Um… where do we stand?"
Sarah stopped in her tracks; he turned to face her, the expression in his eyes intense. "I don't know." She answered softly, truthfully, looking away. "I'm not sure how a long distant relationship would work, not when it takes two months to get to Emelan from here, and that's with a weather mage helping out. I might be able to transport between here and Emelan, but I don't know whether it would work…"
"I'm willing to try." Briar's voice was just as soft. "That is, if you are."
Sarah met his eyes; her mistake. Her breath caught in her throat and Briar moved in, angling his jaw to kiss her gently on the lips. A voice clearing interrupted them, and a redfaced Sarah turned to see Wildcat raising an eyebrow, arms folded against her chest. "I think you two should get to the King's private dining hall."
Briar grinned at the Shang, not caring she could probably rip him limb from limb. "Yeah, probably. Sarah?"
The young knight shook her head in exasperation. They made their way with the Shang as a chaperone, and Sarah found herself sitting next to Alanna and Thayet as footmen brought dishes of food to bear in front of the seated diners. Her stomach growled, and when the food had been delivered she had to fight to eat slowly, as befitted a young noble, instead of stuffing her face. It didn't hurt that she spent much longer than usual cutting up her food; with her left arm in a sling due to the White Martian's attack, she found it difficult to use the utensils.
She didn't stop eating once, ignoring the amused looks Alanna gave Thayet over her head. When she was finished she sat back with a contented sigh, grinning. Jon cleared his throat. "So, how did it go?"
Sarah shrugged. "Pretty damn well, if I do say so myself. I set myself a new PB- Personal Best." She explained. "Only one physical injury, unless you count scraped knuckles from punching a wall in frustration."
"What happened to your arm?" Thayet frowned.
Sarah sighed; she was used to the third degree after each mission. That she had gone on this one completely of her own free will didn't go down that well. "Oh, a tail through the shoulder. Quite painful, actually, especially when you're suspended a foot in the air by the tail. Is there anymore roast chicken?"
Jon signalled the footman before turning back to Sarah. He was very perceptive, Sarah noticed, when he spoke again. "So what were the other injuries, if you were only physically injured once?"
"What makes you think I was injured non-physically?" She asked, a little miffed.
"Come on, Sarah! This is you we're talking about." Raoul, who was sitting next to Niko across from her, laughed.
She narrowed her eyes. "I'd take offence to that… if it weren't entirely true. Well," She took a long sip of her fruit juice before continuing. "As it is, it seems the White Martian Leaders are rather fond of psychic torture. It's none too pleasant."
Realisation dawned on Alanna's face. "That's why-"
"That's why I wanted a cup of sleepy tea before bed, yes." Sarah cut her off with a firm look.
Jon pursed his lips. "Right. Sarah, you're on holidays, from this point on."
"Good!" Sarah said dryly, and another plate of roast chicken appeared carried by a servant. "That means I have time to go investigate someone killing innocent people with the Gift. Goody. Then I'll need your help, Numair," She nodded to the mage, "Developing a way of communicating between dimensions. I don't want to rely upon Mithros to warn me of impending disaster."
The mage just raised his eyebrow, shaking his head. "And where will the much needed rest come in?"
Sarah feigned concern. "Oh, I'm sorry, are you still tired from your big working the other day?" Daine, sitting next to her husband, snickered. "Fine. I'll do it without your help." Sarah subsided into silence as she munched on her chicken.
Wildcat gave her a look that clearly said she didn't believe that was the end of the story. "And what else happened?"
Sarah sighed before explaining the entire invasion, from start to finish, ending with, "I'm just glad General Garrol was one of the prisoners we rescued, or else I'd be pretty… holey, right now."
Alanna whacked her over the head sharply. "You tapped into your life force? What kind of idiot are you?"
Sarah scowled. "The alive kind."
"Only because the Hag let you live. Have you thought about what will happen when she decides to take her magic back?" The fiery red head demanded.
"Calm down, love." George Cooper murmured in her ear.
"I'll probably collapse! I know! But at least we all survived! I'd wager we'd all be dead by now if I hadn't done what I'd done!" Sarah could get just as angry as Alanna, when the time called for it.
"Settle down, you two, or I'll have to separate you." Numair grinned; his smile soon faded as they both turned to glare at him.
Sarah turned back to Alanna. "Look, I thought I was dying anyway." She snapped. "What was the difference going to make if I protected the others as best I could first?"
"The fact that you obviously weren't dying, and you could have thrown your life away!" Alanna repeated her previous argument, snapping right on back at Sarah.
"Hey, maybe you didn't quite understand the situation. Oliver and Connor were both out of commission, Batman and Black Canary were at the back of the pack and too far away to help, I was exhausted, and conventional weapons don't work against Martians! It was magic, or I could get out my flint and a couple of twigs and ask him to wait patiently while I lit a fire! Damn, Alanna! I know I did something stupid, but I'm just happy I'm still alive to suffer the consequences when the Hag decides to deliver them upon me!"
Alanna met her fiery gaze before sighing. "And I'm happy you're still alive. I just… I just worry."
Sarah nodded. "I know. And I worry too. Of course," She yawned. "I should probably go for a walk and find a Conservative to beat up to get rid of this extra tension I have…" She grinned at Jon's reaction.
"Now, Sarah, you know that if you keep running my knights into bankruptcy I'll have to ban… you were only joking?" He trailed off when she started giggling.
"Of course, Jon. You know I try to make sure they challenge me so you can't get me in trouble. As it is, I'm tired again. Am I excused?" When Jon nodded, and she stood, Briar stood also.
"Shall I walk you to your rooms?" He asked gallantly. Sarah nodded shortly, a blush creeping upon her face as she noticed the sniggers and grins on her friends' faces. He looped his arm around hers, and she winced as she could imagine their wicked grins growing.
When they were outside, in the corridor, they walked in a comfortable silence for a few moments until Briar broke it. "There really was nothing I could have done if I'd gone, was there?"
"Nup. But thanks for the offer, all the same. The girls haven't given you any crap about me kissing you, have they?" She asked.
"No." They walked in comfortable silence to Sarah's rooms. The young knight unlocked the door, standing on the threshold, watching Briar carefully.
"Do you… do you want to come in?" She asked, averting her eyes.
"I'd love to." He replied with a small grin. They moved silently over to the bed; as one they sat down. Sarah faced forward, with her hands in her lap. After a moment Briar reached up to move her long hair out of the way, she shrunk back a bit, and he withdrew his hand sharply.
"I'm sorry." She murmured. "It's just… how do we know this will work, if you're two months away?"
"How do we know it won't work? You said yourself, you may be able to transport to and from Emelan." He reasoned.
"I've never been. As far as I know, I need to have memories, feelings of a place to transport there. How can I do that if I don't have any memories, or feelings of Emelan?" She asked, meeting his eyes.
"You could come with us." His voice was soft, she almost didn't recognize that he'd spoken.
"I- I can't." Sarah murmured sadly. "Someone's going around murdering people with the Gift. I need to help them stop it."
"Why?" Briar scowled. "Can't they deal with their own problems for once? Why do you have to do all the work in that dimension?"
Sarah leant her head on his shoulder with a sigh, and gave him a one handed hug. "They think I did it. I have to clear my name. I'm the only person with the Gift they've ever seen, so they think I'm the one that fused the poor guys' bones together. If I ever want to see my friends there again, I need to help NCIS find the person behind the murders."
"NCIS? I thought your friends were in the SVU…" Briar trailed off.
"What, you thought my friends suspected me of murder?" This startled a giggle out of Sarah. "No, NCIS stands for Naval Criminal Something Something, they're the ones that think I did it. When they approached me, I fully thought they were going to try and stop me from leaving."
He kissed the crown of her head. "When are you going back?"
"When you leave." She answered with a yawn. "I need the break, even if a dangerous man is out there somewhere on that version of Earth. I need a few days to collect myself."
Briar moved, and she lifted her head from his shoulder, meeting his eyes. He leant in for a kiss, and this time Sarah didn't shy away. Their lips met, and after a moment Sarah pulled back with a groan. "Why does my life have to be so complicated?" She muttered as she flung herself back on the bed. "I couldn't have fallen for a guy at court. No…" She continued in a singsong voice. "I had to fall for the guy that lives two months away!"
He chuckled and leant down for another kiss, before walking to the door. "Get some sleep, Lady Knight. I'll see you later."
She stared at the ceiling for long moments before sighing and rolling over, to stare at the wall.
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Yawning, Sarah stepped out of her room and almost squashed a bouquet of flowers… still attached to the pot plant that had spawned them. Shaking her head she looked up to meet dancing purple eyes. "Not a word, Alanna." She warned the red head, shaking a finger. "What's up, anyway?"
"I came to see how you were feeling, and to see whether I had to chase Briar out of your rooms." Alanna grinned at her, and Sarah scowled.
"Geez, I get a boyfriend and you all make fun of me. Fantastic." She muttered sourly.
"Come on, you'll feel better for some food." The older knight dragged her down the corridor; it wasn't until much too late that she realised they were in the corridor of the foreign mages' rooms.
"Wait, Alanna. You could have warned me. I have bed hair." Sarah complained plaintively.
The Lioness shook her head and dragged her to the rooms, knocking loudly.
When Sandry opened the door, it was to a grinning Alanna and a scowling Sarah, who was trying to fix her hair. "You're just in time. The servants just brought the food."
That seemed to cheer Sarah up, and she made her way further into the room, falling into a seat next to Briar. That was met with barely concealed grins from the mages gathered around the room. Sarah ignored them as the food was set out on the table. The first bite in, and she almost choked when Rosethorn said dryly, "Briar tells us you're wanted for murder."
She glanced at the younger plant mage. "He does, does he? Yeah, they found some guys with their bones fused together and leapt to conclusions. 'Oh, a new girl on the news that might be able to do that, it must be her! She's the only person possible who could do that, because it's not as though she learnt it from anyone. And the chances of another person in the six billion on that planet being able to do that, impossible!' So I told them to get bent, I wasn't going with them, and I'll be back to help them find the killer in a few days."
At their raised eyebrows she leapt to defend herself. "Hey, they barged in there ready to cuff me. And their boss had a serious attitude problem. Didn't crack a smile once. And the man-lackey was a total sleaze. The chick didn't seem too bad – she was well trained, noticed when I shifted my weight to defend myself-"
"That's very interesting." Alanna said dryly, reaching past her to pick up a slice of bread. "So there's some powerful mage out there that's killing people. And they think it's you. And you're here, having lunch."
Sarah grimaced, before sighing. "I get it. I'm gone." She grabbed another piece of bread as she stood, but Alanna grabbed her by her right arm, pulling her back to her seat. Sarah gasped in pain.
Alanna winced in sympathy. "Sorry. I didn't mean it that way, though. You need rest. I'm just amazed you didn't rush off to find the killer immediately. It seems you're finally learning restraint."
Snorting, Sarah shook her head. "Yeah, right."
THE END…
Sequel? NCIS, of course!