Disclaimer: I own only Auertisse, Midnight and Jasiri.
This was it. The final showdown. Mal, Vic, and Dick looked over the palace wall. Dick held out his hand. Vick put his hand on Dick's. The two look at Mal who barely managed to lift his hand onto the others'. Looks like his strength was slowly but surely coming back. They looked up at their secret weapon and they all smiled.
Garfield Logan walked Aura down the aisle. She tried to go as slow as possible to stall for time but to no avail.
When they reached the alter, Garfield handed his daughter to Prince Red X and the two then knelt before Batman, founding member of the Justice League and reluctant clergyman. Batman was unwilling to participate in this scandal of Red X's. Unfortunately, Red X threatened to lock the Justice League in meta-proof cages for the rest of eternity. Batman had no choice but to cooperate. He didn't want to do it, given the fact that he helped train the Dread Pirate Herald to fight. Herald spoke a lot of his true love. It's unfortunate that Batman had to perform a marriage ceremony involving a spoiled prince and the true love of the Dread Pirate Herald.
Luckily Aura was able to speak to Batman before the ceremony started. Batman agreed to stall for time as well.
Batman cleared his throat. "Marriage…marriage is what brings us together this evening…" He was trying to go as slow as possible…slow enough to make Clockwork himself fall asleep. "Marriage, the blessed arrangement, that dream within a dream…"
Red X groaned. This was going to be a long wedding. A sudden commotion interrupted the whole thing. Screaming could be heard through the thick walls of the chapel. Add a huge roar and you've got major chaos outside. Red X's eyes widened in recognition at the roar, which Aura noticed.
"…And love, true love, will follow you forever…"
This was getting annoying for the prince. He nodded to Count Slade who immediately snuck out of the chapel.
"…So treasure your love…"
Red X narrowed his eyes at Batman. "Skip to the end!" he hissed.
"Do you have the ring?" asked Batman innocently. As Red X hastily pulled the rings out of his pocket, the screams got louder.
Aura smirked confidently. "Here comes Mal now."
Red X shoved one of the rings on Aura's fingers. "Your Mal is dead. I killed the meta myself."
Aura still smirked at him. "You're still afraid that he's still alive," she said confidently. "It's written all over your face."
Karen, now a yellow and black dragon, attacked the sixty guards. Dick and Vic shoved the front gate wide open, each armed with a Duncan Thermos. Karen roared and breathed yellow and black fire at every meta who tried to attack her. Dick and Vic sucked metas left and right into their Thermoses. Mal, who was riding on Karen's back (and holding on with what little strength he had), slipped off her back. He landed on his feet only for his legs to give out and tumble into the dirt. His strength was returning fast but not fast enough. Usually water or an energy drink would do the trick if he ever got tired. He stared at the backpack Dick was carrying...
When Vic and Dick sucked up the metas, they scooped up Mal and approached Mammoth who was guarding the door to the chapel. The ginger oaf was shaking in his armour.
"Give us the gate key!" Mal demanded, his eyes glowing white threateningly for a brief moment.
"What gate key?" Mammoth asked as innocently as he could, his eyes shifting from side to side. "I don't have a gate key."
"Hey Karen! Wanna bite?" Vic called to the dragon. Karen looked up and stared at Mammoth. She then licked her lips.
"Oh! You mean this key?" asked Mammoth pulling out the key from around his neck. Dick snatched it out of his hand.
"And do you…Princess Auertisse…" Batman said nervously.
"Say husband and wife! Say it!" Red X hissed.
Batman sighed in defeat. "Husband and wife," he said forlornly. He looked at Aura apologetically. Aura understood why Batman did it.
Red X turned to the guards. "Escort my bride to the Honeymoon Suite. I'll be there shortly," he growled. He then dashed out through the side door.
Aura stared at the closed chapel doors in disbelief. "He didn't come," she mumbled in disappointment and heartbreak. "Why didn't he come?"
Dick and Vic, who was carrying Mal, were running through the castle corridors, looking for Slade and Aura.
"Where can I find Slade so I can fight him?" asked Dick angrily.
Vic paled. "Does that answer your question?" He pointed to Slade and a group of guards.
Slade saw the trio of misfits in front of him. He turned to one of the guards. "Kill the boy and the giant who is carrying him. Take the third one in for questioning."
As the guards closed in on the trio, Dick grabbed his sword and charged at the guards. He slashed at them all. The moment the Soul Shredder cut through the guards, their bodies glowed and then disappeared.
Vic and Mal were impressed. "Dude! Has that happened before?" Vic asked.
Dick just shrugged. "I don't know. This is the first time something like this ever happened."
"So you don't know where they went?" asked Mal.
"Not a clue."
Slade then fired a ray at the trio. They dodged it. Dick then slowly approached the masked meta-human. "Hello. My name is Dick Grayson. You killed my parents. Prepare to die."
Slade glared daggers at the Romanian. Without warning, he turned tail and fled.
"Hey!" Dick chased after him. Slade phased through a locked door. Dick slammed, face first, into said door. He tried to open it. Locked. "Vic! A little help here?"
"Uh…" Vic hesitated. Kind of hard to do when he's carrying someone who can barely stand. "I would if I could, Dick. But what would I do with Duncan? I can't just leave him here!"
"Vic! Slade is getting away! Please Vic!"
Vic looked around and saw a suit of armour. "Are you able to become completely intangible yet?"
Mal was able to do so. Vic shoved Mal into the suit of armour. "Stay there. I'll be right back."
"YOU'D BETTER!" the suit of armour yelled.
Vic then ran off to help Dick. He marched up to the door and shoved it open. Dick ran in, sword in hand. "Thanks, dude!"
Vic smiled then returned to Mal only to return to a pile of armour on the floor. Vic looked in all directions. "Hmm…where did Duncan go?"
Batman silently escorted Aura to the Honeymoon suite. The poor girl was in a daze.
Batman broke the silence. "Forgive me, Princess. I did not wish to do it. I tried to stall for as long as I could. I pray you understand."
"It's not your fault, Batman," the Keeper said sadly. "You had to protect the Justice League and the world."
Batman smiled. "You may be a semi-Goth, Princess, but your heart is pure gold. Just like the Dread Pirate Herald said."
A spark came to life in Aura's eyes. "You know Mal?"
"Briefly," Batman answered. "The Justice League's greatest treasure, the Infi-map, was stolen. Herald was able to retrieve it. I repaid him by teaching him how to fight. He spoke highly of you. He said that once he's mastered his abilities, he would return to the Human World for his true love."
"I see," Aura said sadly. She pulled out the ice crystal Mal gave to her in the Ecto Swamp. "Too bad Red X killed him." Without another word, Aura entered the Honeymoon Suite to end it all.
Dick continued running through the castle chasing after Count Slade. He fired several rays at Dick who quickly repelled them with his Soul Shredder. The chase eventually ended with them in an abandoned dining hall. Three Slade duplicates (Me: *shudder* more Slades? One's bad enough but hey what you gonna do?) Appeared and surrounded Dick. While he tried to fight them off, the real Slade fired a ray directly at Dick's back. He fell over in pain.
"I'm…sorry, Mom and Dad," he croaked. "I…was so…close…"
Slade then realized whom he was fighting this whole time. "You must be that Romanian brat I taught a lesson to ten years ago." He then grinned evilly behind his mask. "And to think, all these years of chasing me only ends in failure. What a waste of a useless life."
Dick could only scowl at the masked man.
Aura shut the door to the Honeymoon Suite and locked the door. Not that it would work anyway since most of Red X's court could walk through walls or teleport. She walked over to a desk and opened the front drawer with a box inside it. She opened the box. Inside was a gun. The Keeper picked it up and turned it on. She then put it to her temple. Her finger prepared to pull the trigger…
"You know, there aren't many Keepers as beautiful as you. It would be a shame if the world lost one."
Aura turned around and saw Mal Duncan lying on the bed.
"MAL!" Aura dropped the gun and pounced on the bed, embracing Mal tightly. "Mal, why aren't you hugging me back?"
"Oxygen," Mal said gently.
"That's all you can say, Mal? Oxygen?" She hugged him even tighter.
"CAN'T BREATHE! OXYGEN!" Mal cried.
"Oops! Sorry!" Aura let him go, his head banged on the headboard. Mal gave her a goofy grin. He lifted his hand and pulled Aura closer to him and gave her a warm kiss.
Dick managed to get back on his feet with the help of his sword as support. Fire was in his eyes as he stared at Slade with hate. The masked count looked at the swordsman in surprise.
"Honestly! You're still trying to fight back?" he scoffed. "It's quite clear who the victor is in this duel."
Dick then stood upright and scowled at Slade. "Not this time, Slade Wilson!"
Slade smirked. "It's quite clear you have an overbearing sense of vengeance. Better be careful or it will get you in trouble someday." He then fires a ray at Dick who blocked it with his sword.
"Hello. My name is Dick Grayson. You killed my parents. Prepare to die."
Slade then split into three Slades again. All three of them then fired rays at Tucker. He spun around in circles, using his sword as a shield. He then used the Soul Shredder on the copies that quickly disappeared. Dick then continued fighting Slade at close range. Quite a risky move on Dick's part but he didn't care. Not when he was SO close to avenging his parents.
"Hello. My name is Dick Grayson. You killed my parents. Prepare to die."
Slade tried fighting Dick using his fists since his rays were useless on the Soul Shredder. Slade punched Dick in the face, knocking his sun glasses off his face. Before Dick could reach for them, Slade crushed them with his foot.
"Oops," he said feigning innocence.
That did it! "HELLO! MY NAME IS DICK GRAYSON! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! PREPARE TO DIE!"
That line was beginning to annoy the masked man. "Will you stop saying that?"
Dick answered by thrusting the Soul Shredder into Slade's chest. "HELLO! MY NAME IS DICK GRAYSON! YOU KILLED MY PARENTS! PREPARE TO DIE!"
Now Slade was scared. Something he hadn't felt in years. "No! Please! I beg of you! Spare me!"
"Will you give me money?" asked Dick.
"Yes!"
"Power?"
"All that and more!"
Dick smiled evilly. "I only ask for one thing."
"Yes?"
The flames of hate then returned to Dick's eyes. "I WANT MY PARENTS BACK YOU SON-OF-A-GHOAL!"
Dick pulled his sword out of Slade's chest. His chest started glowing and then…disappeared. Seeing that his arch-foe was finally defeated, Dick then sat down on an empty chair. Something was still bothering though: Where the heck did he send Slade?
Slade opened his eyes to find himself on a giant deserted island. He looked at his reflection in the water to see himself without his mask. He tried using his powers to get back to the castle but nothing happened.
Giving up, Slade entered the large jungle hoping that there's something to eat or drink on this island. His trek eventually led him to a giant village. "Hello? Anyone here?"
The citizens came out of their huts at once. Slade paled instantly.
"SLADE!" Thousands of giant teens surrounded Slade and pulled him into literally the largest group hug ever!
"NNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The Soul Shredder sent him to the dimension of his worst fear.
All seemed right with Mal. He was still alive. Aura was snuggled in his arms, safe and sound. All he had to do was get her out of the castle and away from Red X.
He looked at Aura and started stroking her blue-black hair. "I don't need to be a fashion expert to know that that shade of pink is NOT your colour," he stated.
Aura looked up at him, looking heartbroken. Her ugly pink dress was not why she was unhappy. Well, okay, that was part of the reason but not the main reason. She quickly changed the dress to a simple pair of jeans and a t-shirt with her now functioning powers.
"I'm so sorry, Mal," she croaked trying not to break out in tears.
Mal looked at her confused. "What are you talking about?"
Tears then started running down Aura's cheeks. "I got married to someone else. I didn't want to," she sobbed. "It just happened so fast!" Her eyes were now running like a faucet. At this moment she didn't care that she was a Keeper or a pescitarian. All she cared about was Mal.
He chuckled softly. "It never happened."
Aura became confused. "Huh? What?"
"It never happened," he said again.
"Yes it did," Sam argued. "Batman said 'husband and wife.'"
"Did you guys exchange vows and said 'I do'?"
"Uh…no. We kind of…skipped that part."
Mal smirked. "I knew it! Every religion I know has a wedding ceremony that involves exchanging vows one way or another. You didn't perform anything special for your ceremony, did you? Some weddings do that instead of saying their vows."
"Other than kneel, nothing really," Aura answered.
"Ha! Then you're not married!" Mal exclaimed happily. "You didn't say anything and you didn't do anything! You're still single! Don't you agree, Your Royal Monkey Skeleton?"
Aura got up and saw that Prince Red X was standing in the doorway. He was fuming!
"A technicality that can easily be remedied," he said bitterly. "But first thing's first. A fight to the death."
Mal just rolled his eyes. "What is it with you people and fighting to the death? Sheesh!"
"The only difference is that you'll be the one dying!" Red X shouted as his amulet started glowing.
"Aura, reach into my satchel. There's a bottle of Gatorade in there. I like to start my fights fully energized, no pun intended," Mal said to Aura.
Red X then transformed into a gigantic red and black dragon. Due to his size, most of the Honeymoon Suite crumbled. Mal made himself and Aura intangible luckily. Red X flew out of the castle into the night sky, breathing fire everywhere he went. Mal phased out of the debris with Aura in his arms. Aura gave Mal the bottle of Gatorade (another one stolen from Dick's backpack) that he took a huge swig of.
"Take it easy! Otherwise that energy drink will come back the way it came!" Aura scolded. Mal slowed down. The two watched as Karen tried to take on her older brother. "What's with the yellow and black dragon?"
"That's Red X's sister, Karen," Mal explained casually. "She'll take over the kingdom once Red X is out of the picture."
The two watched as the dragon siblings battled each other for about the next hour. Eventually, Red X defeated Karen.
"I thought you said that Karen would win," Aura said in disbelief.
"I did," answered Mal who was just as shocked as Aura. "Maybe someone has to shove Red X off of his throne…" He stood up, staggering a little.
"What? No, you idiot! You're in no condition to fight Red X!" Aura reasoned. "But I am."
"No. You could get seriously hurt. I lost you once. I'm never losing you again." Mal said as Aura turned her outfit into an armoured version of her superhero costume.
"I don't care!" Aura argued. "If you die it will destroy me! I think –"
Mal kissed her wholeheartedly on her lips, shutting her up. Completely forgetting she was trying to reason with him, Aura kissed him back.
Mal then ended the kiss and started walking away from Aura. He then turned around and gave her one more goofy grin before going into battle.
"Any requests?" Mal asked Aura as he whipped out his horn.
He then launched himself into the air, going full-speed at the black and red dragon. He landed a powerful punch in the dragon's jaw. It did little damage. Red X retaliated by breathing fire at Herald. The meta defended himself by firing ice beams at the fire but to no avail. Herald quickly became intangible before he could get seriously burned. Red X tried swiping at Herald with his large clawed paw. Herald flew underneath Red X and grabbed his tail. Like a playful puppy, Red X started chasing his tail.
Herald now officially knew what it's like to participate in a rodeo! Wrestling with Vic was just the calm before the storm! He hung on to Red X's tail for dear life waiting for the right moment to let go. Out of the corner of his eye, Herald saw Red X's jaw about to close on him. Herald then gave Red X's tail a hard tug and then let go. Red X then bit his own tail. He roared in pain and anger at his own stupidity. (Me while holding my stomach from laughing: Sorry but I just love that scene from Kung Fu Panda. *wipes tear from eye* it gets me every time)
Herald was clutching his stomach from laughing. "Oldest trick in the book!" he laughed. Red X quickly snapped his mouth shut on Herald.
"MAL!" Aura yelled charging up her fists. Red X was smirking in victory when he suddenly felt something cold on his teeth. He opened his mouth and roared in pain. Herald quickly flew out of his mouth.
"Congratulations!" Herald cheered, his fists glowing bright blue. "You just experienced your first brain-freeze!"
Red X then tried to eat Herald again but the meta was ready. He fired an ice ray at the dragon, chipping his tooth. Red X howled in pain.
"I didn't want to do this," Herald stated, "but I'm afraid I have no other options." He landed on the ground in front of Aura. "Cover your ears," he said to her. He then took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful blast from his trumpet. The shockwaves hit Red X with a vengeance. Red X crash landed on the rubble that was once his castle. He tried to fly but the sound was too much for his eardrums. The red gem on Red X's amulet then shattered into a million pieces. The black and red dragon then shrank back into Red X's human form. The trumpet blast ended leaving Herald out of breath.
"NO!" Red X screamed. "This cannot be!" He tried to flee but Karen pinned him to the ground with her giant paw.
"Mal, are you okay?" asked Aura finally shedding her armour for her normal uniform.
Mal grunted as he got back on his feet. His knees were still wobbling. "I'll be fine. Help me get to Karen. There's one more thing I need to do," he responded.
Aura guided him to the yellow and black dragon ghost. Red X looked up at Mal who was now towering over him. "Please! Have you no mercy?" he begged.
Mal tapped his chin, thinking about it. "I'll spare you because if I don't it will make Aura upset." Red X smiled at this. "However, I think she would agree with me when I say you'll spend the rest of your life in the Ghost Zone!"
Red X then frowned at Mal's decision. He phased into the ground and resurfaced a few feet away from them. Mal hastily got out a Duncan Thermos (also stolen from Dick's backpack) and sucked Red X in.
"What makes you think I'll be upset if you destroyed Red X?" asked Aura.
"What? I though you didn't like the fact I killed people," Mal said referring to their conversation at the ravine.
"Well, yeah, but I could have made an exception for him. I really hated him! He tried to make me eat meat!" she grimaced. "Have you really killed people or were you just bluffing?"
"No. I haven't killed anyone. Destroyed evil metas, yes, but not humans. The previous Dread Pirate Heralds have killed humans but not me."
Aura smiled at that. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his cheek. Karen changed back to her human form.
Mal turned to her. "So now that your brother is out of the way, I guess you're now the ruler of Jump, huh?"
Karen smiled. "There's going to be many changes around here."
Dick then showed up. He looked wounded a little but he was okay. "You defeated Red X?"
Mal smiled at him. "Yep. That fire breathing jerk will not be coming back!"
Dick was surprised. "You caused THIS much damage?" Mal nodded. "That explains the trumpeting I heard a moment ago." Tucker then bowed to Aura. "Your Highness."
Aura then smacked upside the head. "The marriage was null and void. I'm not royalty. And call me Aura!"
Dick stood up, rubbing his head. "Message received." He turned to Mal. "Have you seen Vic?"
Mal frowned. "I thought he was with you."
"No."
Mal's legs then gave out on him. Aura luckily caught him. "Mal! Be careful!"
"He just spent most of the day unconscious. He's had a hard day," Dick explained.
"Gee, thanks Doc," Mal said sarcastically.
The group then heard Vic calling them. "Dick! Duncan! Where are you?"
"Dude! Over here!" Dick called back. The African giant came running towards the group carrying two hover boards.
"I found these for our getaway," Vic showed them. "But there were only two. Sorry, Duncan."
"Actually," Mal answered straightening up, "I think I'll be alright." He then scooped Aura up bridal style. He then turned to Karen. "I'm guessing we'll be seeing you around?"
Karen then smiled. "Come back in a few months. When everything is cleaned up, I have something very special in mind for all four of you."
Mal, Aura, Vic and Dick returned to Jump several months later. The castle was rebuilt and it was better than ever. As the new ruler of Jump, Karen knighted the three men and one woman for helping her reclaim the throne.
Dick was appointed the Head of Security after Karen fired Mammoth (literally). With Dick's technology, the castle's security was tighter than Fort Knox. In the meantime, he and Mal would hang out in the courtyard catching up.
Vic trained the guards how to fight in hand-to-hand combat. He seemed happier after fighting Red X. No one insulted him for his height, bionics or his lack of brains.
Mal tried again to get the Logans' blessing for Aura's hand in marriage. Seeing that he did save their daughter from murder and saved the kingdom, they approved…reluctantly.
"I don't care if he saves Auertisse's life a hundred times. I still don't like him," said Jasiri.
"I can't believe our daughter is marrying a meta pirate…who used to be our farm boy!" Garfield exclaimed.
"Oh, shut up! Both of you!" Grandfather Mnyama scolded.
"Baba! He stole all of that treasure!" Jasiri pointed out. "He didn't earn it!"
"That's why they're called 'shortcuts.' The sooner he got his fortune, the better!" Grandfather Mnyama stated. "Besides, Her Highness rewarded him with plenty of gold to last till he has grandchildren! Add the stolen treasure into the pile and his family's set for several generations!"
"Father, I still don't think –"
"CAN IT! At least this time you won't be able to get rid of him so easily."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife," said Batman. "You may kiss the bride."
Mal lifted the veil away from Aura's face and kissed her. Everyone cheered.
"WAY TO GO, DUDE!" cheered Dick.
It was a beautiful wedding. Aura wore a gold and silver wedding dress, complete with the old "something white, something old, something borrowed, something blue" accessories. Aura agreed that her mother could decorate for the reception, provided that it goes with the colours of Aura's choosing. A buffet was laid out into two sections: meat and soy.
When the reception ended, the four met outside of the chapel.
"You know," Dick started, "I've been in the revenge business for ten years."
"And?" Vic asked.
"Well, now that I've gotten my revenge, what now?"
Mal smiled at his best man. "You know, you've got really good fencing skills. How would you like to be the proud owner of the Gabriel?" Mal left out the fact that he and Kwan dismantled the Portal on the ship weeks ago.
Dick thought about it. "Dick Herald? I like it!"
Aura rolled her eyes. "'Dread Pirate Herald' is now a title, you idiot. You can't change your last name to Herald just because you're a pirate."
"Why not?" Dick argued. "Mal did for his superhero name."
"Besides, I've already claimed the name in writing," Mal said. He held up a document as proof.
"Aw, man!" Dick moaned.
"You get to meet a lot of girls," Mal insisted.
That sold him! "Deal! From this day forward I shall be known as the Wicked Pirate Grayson!" His friends laughed at the ridiculous new name.
Mal scooped up Aura, bridal style, and flew off.
"So, now that you are my husband what next?" asked Aura.
"I don't know," Herald shrugged. "The sky's the limit, I guess."
Aura giggled. "How about we start building that summer home in the Ecto Swamp?"
Mal gazed deeply into Aura's violet ones. "Whatever you say." He then gave her the most passionate kiss she ever had.
The End.
Midnight closed the book.
"That was an awesome story, Midnight! Thanks a bunch!" said Raven obviously under the affects of a fever.
"You're welcome. Now you need to get some shuteye! Can't fight the flu by staying awake all the time."
She turned around and started to leave until Raven stopped her. "Midnight?"
She turned around. "Yeah, Raven?"
"Could you please get a copy of the book for me?" Raven asked hopefully.
"Sure thing." Midnight said.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! Was the sound that woke the Titans from their dream. Soon they all raced out the door to face the latest villain attack.
Me: Ah how I love this movie. Can't wait to read the book. Also big thanks to lilysash97 and rinpup14 for reviewing. Also I am in desperate need of ideas for the next chapter so please send them in. Hopefully it won't take a month to get the chapter up. Well I'll see you soon I hope. Chavonnie26 GO! *runs off to my room ready to cry my eyes out at the thought of not writing for a month*