It's been a while… but as Bob Dylan put it "These times they are a'changin'". Let me catch you up to speed. A lot of things have happened in the last six months since where we left off. First of all… the Thanagarians tried to take over the world. We felt pretty betrayed by Shayera, but honestly I don't think she was really at fault. It didn't matter though, because she put in her resignation and we haven't seen her since. When she left… she took a part of John with her. He still won't talk about it.
Other than that… The Watch Tower has otherwise expanded a bit, partially to the expansion of the league, and also because in destroying the Thanagarian's largest ship, Bruce decided the best course of action was a suicide mission of hurling himself and The Watch Tower onto Earth and crashing it into their ship. I was thankful Clark saved his life. After all, we had just started openly (yet secretly) seeing each other.
Yes, Bruce and I are a couple. Don't confuse that with the traditional sense of the word. We keep it pretty professional at The Watch Tower, and as expected Bruce is gone almost every night keeping watch over his city. I go with him from time to time… but I've been pretty hard at work starting my final semester at Gotham University and being the manager of Wayne Design. Once and a while I get to steal the man underneath the cape and cowl, but every now and then I find myself wishing he had more time (perhaps more than I'm willing to admit). Going into it, I knew this would be the kind of relationship we'd have if we became something more. So I spend quite a few of my nights alone, in my apartment, staring outside my window wondering where Batman is, sort of like I've always done.
I miss Wally.
Things between us haven't been the same since the original leaguers found out Bruce and I had made it official. Wally seemed to distance himself from me after that. No more Friday Night Movie Nights, video games, or 3rd lunches out somewhere that would give the average man a heart attack. We see each other in passing some times. On very rare occasion we get assigned a mission together, but it's only happened a couple of times. I hear from the other members he's found himself a lab job down in Central City and when he's not doing that, he's playing tag with Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, or some other weirdo that is Central bred. Guess they haven't gotten the memo you can't play tag with Wally and expect to win. There is a hole in my life. Bruce is the man I love. But I miss my best friend.
Life around The Watch Tower has gotten pretty hectic. J'onn spends a lot of his time at the monitors, assigning groups to people and sending them off on missions. Usually one of us originals has to tag along with the new members and show them the ropes. Since technically I was the first addition to The Justice League the newbies tend to look up to me and come to me for advice. It's kind of strange. I've never been deemed a leader before.
It's strange how much has changed… when I look back on it… sometimes it doesn't feel real. Like at any moment I'm going to wake up, walk down the hall and into the meeting room, and there they'll all be; including Shayera. There will be an empty chair between Wally and Bruce where I sit. We'll sit around and listen to Clark talk about something or other. With a chime in from Diana, Bruce or whoever decides to speak that day. The alarm will sound and all eight of us will tackle the challenge of the day… together, as one.
I can't remember the last time I've gotten to work with all of the original seven at once.
Not only do I miss Wally… I miss my family.
Something tells me Clark would tell me, "Your family hasn't gone anywhere. Look at it as it has expanded. When you look at it like that… it's a positive thing." but in order to expand, we must stretch further and further apart. None of them feel within arm's reach anymore. And when I think of it like that…
I miss my family.
We Are Limitless
It was early morning around The Watch Tower. In one of the newly added gyms, Chelsea was doing push-ups on an exercise mat. She reached her limit and rolled over onto her back until the stars she was seeing would stop haunting her vision. She turned her head to take note of all of the other present members. Looking back to the ceiling she closed her eyes tightly, trying to make the throbbing in her head subside. When she opened her eyes, a man clad in gold and royal blue stood over her with wavy blond bangs hanging downward. He used his hand to pull back his hair, but his eyes were still concealed behind a pair of yellow shades. She smirked and held her hand up to him so he'd help her up, "How're you doing today, Michael?" it was the futuristic hero, Booster Gold, along with his little buddy Skeets.
"You remember my name?" he asked.
"Of course," she nodded, dusting herself off, "You're Booster Gold."
He flashed her a brilliant smile, "Starlight, right? You're as radiant as your name entails." finally someone hadn't called him Green Lantern.
"Down boy," she joked, grabbing a towel and draping it over shoulders, "Is there something you need?"
"Actually… I was hoping you could help me out…" he murmured, looking away shyly.
"They put you on crowd control again, didn't they?" she asked expectantly.
"How did you know?" he asked.
She felt sympathy for the man from the future. Though he was rather full of himself a great deal of the time, one on one he didn't seem so bad, "Tell ya what…" she put a hand on his shoulder, "next time I get permission to lead a group, I'll request you specifically. Sound good? And don't worry… there's no crowd control in my groups." she winked at him.
"Really?" he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it, "I could easily fall for you." he charmed.
She shook her head, "No need to suck up to try to get ahead. I'll try to help you out in whatever way I can." she started to walk away and held her hand up to wave to him.
"She's something, isn't she?" he wondered aloud.
"She's very kind, sir." agreed Skeets.
Green Arrow was lifting weights nearby and had heard the conversation. He decided to chime in, "I've heard through the grapevine she's seeing someone. Apparently he's quite intimidating. Choose your battles wisely."
Booster Gold looked at Skeets with a raised eyebrow, "Who?" he wondered.
Chelsea entered the cafeteria for some breakfast. She had plans to meet someone here. In a corner of the room sat the man she was looking for. She took a seat across from him and smiled, "Good morning."
Batman smiled only slightly, "What took you?" he questioned.
"Booster Gold wanted to pick my brain." she waved it off as she started eating some scrambled eggs that were on her tray.
Bruce wondered what that futuristic showboat was attempting to do now. He could only assume it was something underhanded to get ahead.
"Anyway…" Chelsea looked him over, "Are you… doing your usual tonight?" she knew the answer already.
He took a drink of his water and started to cut a piece off of his omelette. It started to occur to him the last time they had an evening together. It had been nearly a month. He was being rather neglectful. Sometimes it even amazed him how patient she was when it came to his struggle to show a softer side, "Unless you can convince me something more eventful could be happening." he looked up at her from his plate to see a semi-surprised expression flash across her face.
She leaned forward a bit, "Really?" she sounded almost relieved.
"I'll make some phone calls." he nodded. She covered her face, trying to hide the fact she was nearly in tears. She missed him so much more than he could realize. But when he caught onto her reaction, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. Why hadn't he listened to Alfred when he had warned him time and time again that he needed to do better by her. He knew this arrangement would be complicated, but, "I'm sorry." he told her. He loved her, and there was nothing complicated about that, "I've been so caught up in conferences and Arkham's weak security systems leaking scum back on the streets I've…" he saw her eyes shining with water. He knew whatever he was about to say would fall short of what she needed to hear.
"You know I could help you with those things right?" she asked, "Maybe not in the business conference rooms, but certainly with the streets."
He knew. It was just different with her. With Dick, Barbara, or Tim… he was okay with the idea of them being beside him, because it was their choice. But with Chelsea, despite it being her choice, she had somewhat given him the power to choose whether she could come along or not, by asking permission. He knew sooner or later that would end. She was stubborn after all. So very stubborn. And what's more, he knew how much he meant to her. To spend time with him, any amount, meant more than all of the other moments without him, "I know." he said with a single head nod.
She wanted to reach across the table and hold his hand, but she knew better of it. They agreed it would be safest that the only way they could display their relationship to the public was when he was Bruce Wayne, and even then he did his best not to flaunt it. Kidnapping some billionaire's girlfriend for ransom money had Gotham thugs written all over it.
Bruce rose from the table and stared down at her, "I have a mission to lead with Superman. I apologize for running out on you so quickly. I'll make it up to you tonight. Come over. We'll have dinner."
She forced a smile and bobbed her head, "Can't wait." Her body ached the moment he disappeared out of the cafeteria. Their meeting was so brief. As had many of their meetings been the last few months. Being alone so much was starting to make her physically ill. She pushed her tray of food away and rested her head on the table.
As she rested there, there was a static sound in her earpiece before she heard J'onn's deep voice, "Starlight, report."
She pressed the button on her earpiece, "I'm here." she said quietly.
"I need you to take a mission from me. Are you busy?" he wondered.
"Be right there." she replied, "Hey J'onn… can I request my unit members for the mission?"
There was silence for a moment and then, "Certainly. Keep in mind a lot of ground will need to be covered. I can manage you and two other members. Who did you have in mind?"
Chelsea lifted her head and started to walk her tray over to the trash, "Booster Gold has shown a lot of promise lately… I would like to take him with me."
"Very well. Shall I put Wally on the team as well? I expected his name to be the first to come out of your mouth, considering the conditions." J'onn replied.
Wally. She hadn't seen Wally for some time. How would he act? Would it really be best to be together on a mission as a means of reunion?
"He's standing here with me. If you had someone else in mind it's-" J'onn told her.
She pressed her button hard, "Yes… send Wally. I need him." Never were truer words spoken.
J'onn's voice came over the loudspeaker, "Will the following members please proceed to the teleporter for a mission report: Booster Gold, and unit leaders: The Flash and Starlight." Chelsea started for the teleporter room. When she arrived, there stood Wally. When their eyes met, they both opened their mouths to speak when Booster Gold came busting in from behind Chelsea.
"Star! You are the best!" Booster Gold beamed, patting her on the head.
Wally looked at them both confused. Chelsea shook her head as if to say "don't ask." They all stepped onto the blue platform and were instantly teleported to a large city. J'onn spoke into all of their earpieces, "Someone reported a bomb threat somewhere in the city. We suspect there is two decoys and one legitimate. All must be destroyed to ensure the safety of the civilians. Try not to draw too much attention to avoid rioting."
"Got it," Chelsea replied.
"Skeets has a scanning mechanism," Booster Gold said pointing back at his little robot buddy, "I can input scans for any explosive compounds and when we're near one it will be found. Just give us a destination and we'll cover some ground."
"Then you will have the most important job Michael," she told him, "find the real bomb. Start north and work your way down. If you run into trouble, call for help. Wally and I will start in the east and west and meet you down south… sound good?" she looked at Flash.
"Yes'm!" winked Booster Gold as he took flight and started northbound.
"Which way?" asked Wally.
Chelsea was fixated on Wally. It was like staring at a ghost. She wanted to fling her arms around him and cry. She wanted to tell him how much she missed him. She had never seen such a neutral expression on his face before. He was always smiling before and now… "Why don't you quickly cover west and then meet me in the east and help me there." she said.
"Sure," he replied, he started to turn when he paused, "Why Booster Gold?"
"Huh?" she asked.
"I heard you ask for him specifically… why?" he wondered.
She lifted her shouldered and let it fall, "It was a favor. Everyone else he gets paired up with put him on crowd control. He's a lot more useful than that… I want to help him get his credibility up."
It was the first time in a long time she had seen Wally smile, "That's so like you." he murmured. He started to take off when she stopped him.
"I didn't hesitate." She replied.
"When?" he asked.
"When J'onn said you could come with me… I don't want you to think I didn't want you here. I wanted you here more than anybody. We never get to do missions together anymore." She told him.
His smile widened, "We're doing one now… sort of." he looked around as if to say they weren't focused on work.
"Yeah we better get moving." she nodded, "See you in a few."
Chelsea was still only about halfway through covering her section when Flash had come to her aid in the east, "I found one of the fakes." he reported.
"Nice!" Chelsea grinned. She put her finger on the call button in her ear, "How're we doing up there Michael?"
"Actually," he replied, "I have found the real bomb. I'm in the middle of dismantling it now."
"Awesome," Chelsea responded, "keep us updated. We just have one more decoy to find and then the mission will be accomplished."
"Well this is going smoothly." Wally said, putting his hands on his hips.
Chelsea hovered above him, "Yeah," she landed in front of him, "I'd say so."
"Say Chels…" Wally mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah?" she wondered.
"How're things going… with you I mean?" He asked, "I feel like it's been forever since we've last really spoken to each other…"
"I'm a little exhausted," she admitted, "I'm the head manager at Wayne Design, I have this, my last semester of college, and all the while I'm trying my best to see Bruce when I can."
"When you can?" he wondered.
"He's busy. He's always busy." Chelsea told him.
Wally tilted his head, "Are you… happy?"
Chelsea paused. She looked around them to see the giant buildings that loomed overhead, "I knew going in things would be complicated being with Bruce. It's not like anything has changed with his life. It would be selfish for me to expect him to change his whole life because of me. Batman is who he is… it's his life."
"His life changed when you guys became a couple." Wally said, furrowing his eyebrows, "Chels, have you told him? I mean knowing Bats he probably doesn't realize he's doing it…"
"Doing what?" she asked.
"Making you feel overlooked." he answered.
Chelsea thought this over. How did Wally catch on so quickly that she was sad? She realized that despite Wally and her not spending time together, their bond had not faltered in the least. He could tell when she was in pain, "He's not the only reason I feel overlooked Wal." she looked him in the eyes. They had a brief exchange of a look, and she turned away, "Let's wrap this up. Despite his busy schedule I have a date tonight." she started to levitate once more.
"I'm finished," Booster Gold told Chelsea, "Where to next?"
"Check south side for me please." Chelsea told him.
Wally pressed his call button, "Boost, head over to the east. I checked south on my way over here. It's somewhere east. Regroup with us."
Chelsea turned back to Wally with a confused look, "Why didn't you tell me that?"
He shrugged, "I wanted to see that look on your face."
She stared at him dumbfounded then shook her head and smiled. She wanted to get to work, but instead she landed once more and looked at him for a moment, "What keeps you so busy you never come over anymore?" she wondered.
It was his turn to look surprised, "Central has been kind of crazy lately."
"Got a girlfriend?" she wondered.
"No," he shook his head, "nothing like that."
And that's when it hit Chelsea. After all this time, he still wasn't over her. She shook her head, "You should come over some time. We'll get take out or something and watch a movie. Or play some video games. I miss that." she wanted to say I miss you, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She was afraid it would make her break down and cry.
"You're right." he nodded, "I should. I miss that too."
They exchanged a smile, then hers curved into a smirk, "Betcha I can find the last decoy before you." Like that she shot up into the air like a rocket.
"We'll see about that!" he called out to her, running like he had a newfound burst of energy.
After they had completed their mission, Martian Manhunter started to teleport them back to The Watch Tower, "Leave me J'onn," Chelsea told him, "I need to fly back home anyway and it's not too far from here." She turned to Wally and Michael, "Great job guys. I'll see you both later. Remember what I said Wal."
Wally and Booster Gold disappeared, and reappeared back at The Watch Tower, "I like her." Booster Gold told Skeets, "She's a real babe… no wonder she's not single."
Wally heard Booster Gold's comment and looked at him for a moment before walking off. He couldn't really blame the guy. He had felt the same way for a long time.
At the Wayne estate Chelsea was quickly stumbling through the mansion trying to get beautified for Bruce. She had spent about an hour on her hair and make up to look her very best. She even wore the dress she wore on their first date. She tripped on her way into the kitchen fumbling a heel onto her foot, "How do I look Alfred?" she wondered.
He turned to the young woman and smiled genuinely, "Absolutely beautiful Miss." he was putting the finishing touches on their dinner. Chelsea skipped to the dining room table and took a seat to contain her overjoyed jitters. She wasn't sure why she was so excited. It just felt like forever since she got to really spend time with Bruce. With everyone feeling like they were out of reach, being able to spend an evening with him would certainly make a difference on her mood. As Alfred was dressing the table she started to assist him when she heard crackling through her earpiece. Bruce spoke to her on a private line, "Chelsea, are you there?"
Chelsea clutched her ear, "Yep. We're about set here. Are you on your way?" Silence came over the speaker. Chelsea turned to Alfred with worry.
"I'm sorry…" Bruce murmured back to her, "Joker got out… he's made a real mess of things… I-"
Chelsea froze and reached up to undo her hair, "Do you need some backup?" she asked quietly.
"I'll handle this one. Nightwing and Batgirl are already on their way." she heard him take a deep breath, "I hope you didn't go through a lot of trouble."
She looked up at Alfred, trying to keep her tone steady, "No… I'm actually in pajamas," she looked down at her dress and heels, "I was just going to eat with you and watch some Grey Ghost… a cozy night in." Alfred looked at her sympathetically.
"Promise me we can still do that." he sounded so guilty.
"Of course." she replied, trying not to let her voice tremble.
"I've got to go. You can stay the night. If and when I get home I'll crawl into bed with you." he told her, "Batman out."
Her hand fell from her ear as she looked up at Alfred once more. Slowly she fell back onto her dining chair and forced a smile, "We can still have dinner."
"Miss, you don't have to-" Alfred started to protest.
"Please," she begged as tears slid down her cheeks, "please have dinner with me. If I have to eat one more meal alone I'm-"
The door swung open revealing young Tim Drake, the current Robin. He took note of Chelsea's expression. Tilting his head he sighed, "He bailed again, didn't he?"
"Young Master Tim… Miss Chelsea and I were just about to sit down and have some dinner… please, join us." Alfred said, making light of the situation as he turned to check his cooking in the kitchen.
Tim approached Chelsea with a sad expression. She was like the big sister he never had. He had never seen her look so defeated, "What was it this time?" he asked, pulling out a seat and sitting down next to her.
"The Joker…" Chelsea growled.
"And he didn't invite me? What a jerk!" Tim huffed, crossing his arms.
"Apparently Nightwing and Batgirl were already on their way. They must have been there to cover for him tonight… won't they be surprised." She said flatly.
"Hey…" Tim said softly, "are you going to be okay?"
Chelsea took a deep breath, "Yeah… I will be…"
After the three sat and ate, Alfred drew Chelsea a relaxing bath in the Jacuzzi tub Bruce had stashed away in his bathroom. She spent some time washing her face of the make-up she had worn, and laid in the bubbly abyss. It was relaxing. It soothed the physical pain, but she was still waging an unwinnable war on the inside.
She tilted back her head and closed her eyes. She heard the door open and sunk lower in the tub to ensure her bare chest was covered in bubble lather, "Tim I'm in here. I don't care what mess of adolescent hormones are coursing through your scrawny little body. Get-"
"Tim's walked in on you before?" asked a voice like velvet.
Chelsea's eyes sprang open. Bruce was standing before her with a slightly unbuttoned shirt and dress pants on. He approached the tub and sat down beside her on the outer rim, "No, but I know how boys are." she grumbled, "How're you here?"
"Alfred told me you went through a lot of trouble… that outfit was a bit overdressed for a Grey Ghost marathon, don't you think?" he gestured to the messily thrown dress on the chair nearby.
"I didn't want you to feel bad…" she told him, running her fingers through her wet hair.
"It's a bit late… but after you're finished, if you'd like to sit together and do just that, I'd really enjoy it." he told her.
"What about-?" she started to ask.
"He's taken care of. Once we got him, Dick and Barbara told me to go home." he rubbed the back of his head.
"You owe me…" she said.
He looked at her surprised and then ashamed, "I know."
"Remember you agreed with me." she told him. He looked at her a bit confused. Grabbing his arm she pulled him into the gigantic bath tub. He wiped his face with his hand and slicked back his now soaked hair. When he looked at her, she grinned, "Debt paid."
He raised an eyebrow, "You have a really bad habit of pulling me in water fully clothed."
She realized she was naked and turned red. He had never seen her that way before. Thankfully the layer of bubbles was pretty thick, "So Bats can swim. Who knew?" she nervously joked. He started to stand up when she reached for his arm to stop him, "Take a bath with me?" He was surprised by this as well.
His eyes shifted as he thought about it, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," she nodded, "don't worry I won't look." she closed her eyes and leaned her head back once more.
He shook his head and chuckled, "Yeah," he nodded with a roll of his eyes, "that's what I'm worried about." he started to undo the buttons on his shirt. Once he was undressed he sat down across from her so they were looking at each other. His feet were to her left, but even with Bruce's impressive frame, there was still quite a bit of room. When she felt him sit down she lifted her head to look at him. Her face was still brightly lit, "You're acting very timid all of the sudden."
"I haven't-... I've never…" she tried to put it into words. Lowering her voice to not even a whisper she said, "I've never seen a man… you know…"
A lot of realizations came to Bruce's mind in that moment. Even as a detective, there were still things that amazed him. It was almost a relief, "Then you've never…?" She locked eyes with him. So she kept herself out of everyone's reach after all. Some of the horror stories she had told him about past relationships. He couldn't exactly say he blamed her. This fact made him instantly fall for her even more. When he smiled, her heart melted.
"I've… just been waiting… for the right person. The one I'm comfortable with…" she tilted her head, "I found that in you so…" when her eyes returned to his, he seemed grateful, "I trust you, Bruce. I love you."
Guilt started to sink in once more, "I'm… I'm sorry." he wasn't used to this apology thing, "I know I ruined the evening you had planned and I-"
He stopped talking when she did something he did not expect. She crawled over to him, and rested her body on top of his. With her head rested gently against his chest, she listened to his heart beating wildly, "All I want is you Bruce… any time you can find time in your busy life to spare a moment to spend with me… is a moment I feel most blessed. Thank you… thank you for coming home."
He took a deep breath and cautiously wrapped his big arms around her small, fragile frame, "You deserve so much more than a few stolen moments…" he thought. He pressed his lips to her forehead and pulled her in closer, "You deserve so much better than all of this… than me."
Author's Notes: Sorry for the lag in updates guys! College has gotten kind of crazy and is stripping me of free time. I'll do my best to try to update once a week, but if I'm a little late on occasion bear with me. Thank you for reading, and I'll see ya at the next chapter.