Before you read this... I am a horrible person. After you read this, you might understand why I say this. Anyhoo...Enjoy, if you can.
"I'm sorry, John."
Hro grinned. This was his chance. He would finally rid the world of this… lantern. Hro was surprised he wasn't dead.
He limped closer and Hro got a good look at him. John was bloody and looked beat, that is… if you were looking at anything but his eyes. His brown eyes were set and determined. They held the passion that fueled him now. That passion was for protecting one person, and that person was Shayera.
"If I win, you leave Earth and never come back." John spoke. "You will never hurt Shayera again." At the last part of his terms, John's fist tightened and his eyes started to glow green. Hro met his gaze and spoke up.
"And if you lose, Lantern?"
John took a deep breath. "We both know what it means if I lose."
Hro laughed. "Very true Lantern, very true indeed." He took a large step forward, leaving Shayera on the ground. "If I win, you won't be there of course, but when I win, I want Shayera to stay and Batman and Carter to leave."
"Hell no!" Carter shouted. He was quickly cut off by John.
"Carter! Stay out of this." John looked to Hro. "And if you lose?"
"I won't." He said menacingly.
"Fine." John simply said. Then with a burst of green light, his suit was repaired, his brown eyes went green, and he launched himself at the man who he wanted to kill.
Shayera lay on her stomach. She wanted to die. The pain was killing her; not being able to help John was killing her. She saw him talk to Hro but didn't hear anything. The wind had picked up and dark clouds were looming closer and closer. She saw John fly to Hro. 'No.' she wanted to say. 'Stop fighting.'
But no one would hear her. Hot tears started to run down her cheeks. Her eyes slammed shut. Is it possible that this is all a huge nightmare? Or that the last 6 weeks had been some cruel joke? Maybe she was in a coma.
"ARGHHH!" Shayera flinched at the sound and opened her eyes. It seemed to her that Hro had attempted to cut into John, but John had constructed an axe of his own. She reached a hand out and gripped the grass. She'd help John. She would save him. His death wasn't part of the plan today. Ever so slowly, Shayera started to make her way over to the fight. All of a sudden, her view was cut off by black boots, and a black cape. "Going somewhere?"
Shayera growled and attempted to push the boots away. "Move, Batman. I've no time for you. I need to get to John!"
"If you want him to lose then by all means, go ahead. He doesn't need to be distracted."
"Why aren't you helping him?" She screamed. Carter came up behind them still watching the bloody fight.
"They made a deal."
Shayera stopped struggling. "A deal? What kind of deal?"
Batman reached down and pulled Shayera up so that she was sitting. She winced as Batman's hands probed along her wounds. "Don't worry about it. We need to get you fixed up."
Knowing that Batman wouldn't tell her, she shut her mouth and prepared for pain. Batman was careful. He took some bandages from his utility belt and carefully put them on Shayera. When she was all bandaged up, she tried to stand.
"Wait." Batman's gruff voice stopped her. "Let me see your stomach."
"My stomach?"
Not waiting for a response, Batman put his hands on Shayera's stomach. She took slow breaths and tried to figure out what the Bat wanted. Soon, the hands withdrew and Shayera opened her eyes. Batman had stood back up and was watching the fight intensely.
"Batman?" Shayera said tentatively.
Batman looked towards Carter. "No matter what happens, Shayera is not to go near the fight. Do you understand? No matter what."
"Alright.", was all Carter said. "Come one." He said to Shayera. He helped her up and tried to take her in the house.
"No." She said. When the two heroes continued walking, she dug her feet into the dirt. "I said no! We need to help John. This isn't over. We need to do something."
Batman stopped and got right into the Thanagarian's face. "I need to keep you safe. Not just for yours and John's sake." Getting no response from Shayera, just an angry glare, Batman continued on to the house. He left Carter to deal with Shayera. Hearing a shout, a dull hit, and the sound of fast, faltering footsteps, Batman turned around.
Carter was on the ground, and Shayera was making her way to the bloodshed. "Shayera!" Batman started to run after her. Hearing the Bat, Shayera ran faster. Unfortunately, Batman wasn't the only one who heard Shayera.
Hro had been facing her, while John's back was turned towards her.
Shayera wasn't thinking. Her only objective? Get to John.
That was it.
Nothing else.
Should she have planned something?
Definitely.
At the last moment, right before her hands could reach John, Hro brutally pushed him aside and brought his axe up.
Then, she was on the ground.
Cold,
Wet,
And feeling a dull pain. 'When did the ground become the sky?' Shayera reached her hand out and saw it was drenched in blood. 'Blood?' Then the pain came. She hissed sharply and looked down. Across her stomach, there was a deep gash. The blood wasn't gushing out as she would have thought it would. Instead it was slowly flowing out in deep currents. For some reason, her mind drifted to Batman, as she thought back to Batman, she came to a realization. Slowly she closed her eyes and let the tears fall, as rain started to fall as well.
John screamed as he saw his beloved was hit. Her wounds were too great as her blood flowed steadily from her. She collapsed. Immediately, John went to her. He noticed that she was crying. He knelt down beside and took one of her hands in both of his. She reached out with her free hand to his cheek. Through her tears she said the last thing he would have expected. "I'm so sorry."
He coughed out a laugh. "For what?", the tears forming in his eyes threatening to spill over.
She looked down towards her stomach, and removed her hand from his. Laying it on her stomach, which was bare between the top of her pants to her belly button and covered with blood, you could see a little, barely there, bump. Her tears ran more freely. "I couldn't keep him safe."
John looked down and set his hand on hers. Understanding flashed through his mind and memories played in his eyes, but were replaced quickly by sorrow and loss.
John leaned down to touch her forehead with his, entwining their fingers, his tears finally seeping out and mingling with hers. Slowly he touched her lips with his own. "I love you, more than anything."
Behind them, they could hear Hro being dealt with by Batman and Carter, but chose to ignore it. Shayera kissed him with the last of her energy. Sadly, she smiled at him. "I know."
As Batman and Carter finished dealing with Hro, they walked up behind John and Shayera. The sadness was almost tangible. Batman knew what was going to happen. Carter looked at him questioningly, hopefully. Ever so slightly, the Dark Knight met his gaze and shook his head. Carter bit his lip and looked away. Soft sobs shaking him.
Eyes closed and foreheads still pressed together, John noticed that Shayera's breathing was slowing to a deadly pace. He leaned back up and called her name. "Shayera! Open your eyes! Stay with me!"
Her eyes fluttered opened, they locked on to his, but then her focus was lost. She looked up one last time and she stared up past him. Her mouth was slightly open and she barely breathing. Slowly she drew her last breath, closed her eyes and went still. "No!" John shouted.
As her last breaths left her, Shayera felt a pull. She felt herself go up, up, and up into the bright white bliss that was known as death.