Chapter 30

Shayera slowly reached a hand out to touch them. "I hope they're okay," Carter said. "Bats here wanted it to be a surprise, so I had to trust the measurements he gave me. I don't want to know how you were able to get the lieutenant's measurements, but I hope they turned out just right." Carter continued speaking, but Shayera didn't hear as his voice faded into the background. She was…this was…and he was…Shayera turned to Batman. "You did this for me?" she asked him, interrupting Carter who was still talking.

"Carter made them," Batman answered, "I just umph." Batman was stopped midsentence by Shayera kissing him. Shayera was on her tiptoes kissing him. They were kissing. He and Shayera were kissing. And she had initiated it. Batman remained calm outwardly as he slowly wrapped his arms around Shayera's waist. "Uhh," he heard Carter say uncomfortably. "I'll just…I know my way out," Carter said, slowly backing out the gym. Once he was gone, Shayera broke the kiss, removing Bruce's cowl. "Shayera," Bruce muttered softly.

"I'm sorry," Shayera said still standing on her tiptoes, breathing heavily. "I shouldn't have kissed you while you were still Batman, but I just – you just – and the wings – you," she didn't know what to say. So, she planted her lips on Bruce's once again, pressing her body into his. Bruce didn't know how to proceed. Any other female, they would have already been naked – or he would have had her up against a wall. But Shayera wasn't any female. He didn't want to scare her….or startle…he wasn't sure how…experienced she was with sex. Following her lead was the best course of action. Bruce wasn't the only one having an inner monologue while kissing, Shayera was having one, too. This wasn't how she had planned to share her feelings with Bruce, but then she saw the wings. She didn't know what to do. She had never felt this happy about anything before. Her wings had been the most precious thing in her life, and Bruce had just given them back to her. Her heart was swelling with joy and a whole bunch of other mushy things. "Thank you," Shayera breathed out. "Thank you. I – I don't know what else to say," she felt tears me to her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything, Shayera," Bruce said, resting his forehead against hers. He gazed into her large green eyes. "Yes, I do," Shayera whispered, not shying away from his gaze. "I have so much to thank you for," she said as tears slowly rolled down her face. Bruce used his thumbs to wipe the tears away as she continued, "No one's ever…" her voice faded.

"I know," Bruce said stroking her cheek as gently as possible through this black, military grade gloves.

"I can't – I have nothing to give you – " This time, Bruce interrupted her with his lips covering hers, all the while wishing he wasn't still wearing his stupid suit. "You owe me nothing," he said breathlessly as he continued kissing her senseless, sucking her lower lip, slipping his tongue in her mouth. Shayera was drowning in feelings and sensations. She had never felt this with John. Then again, she never actually let it get this far with John. She was loyal to Katar when it came to…bedroom intimacies. "You should try them on," Bruce said, pulling his lips only a few millimeters away from hers.

"I don't want to," Shayera said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Not now."

"It's okay," Bruce pressed a quick kiss to her lips, "we will continue this later, I promise." He kissed her hard before releasing her. "Try them on," he demanded, falling back into his Dark Knight role. "I'm gonna change." Shayera nodded, biting her lip. She had just made out with the Batman. She wanted to scream for joy, but she wouldn't because that would be weird for her. Instead she turned to the wings resting on the bench and began studying them, looking them over. It would feel weird, but these wings would definitely come in handy…as soon as she learned how to put them on.

Diana sat atop the Eiffel Tower, watching the city below. The meeting had been…eventful. She needed a moment to process. "May I join you?" Diana turned to her right. "Kal-el," she said in surprise. "Of course you can join me. You do not have to ask." Superman sat next to her. "Paris is beautiful at night," he said.

"Yes, it is," Diana agreed. "I come up here every now and then to think. To clear my head."

"Well," Kal-el said, "penny for your thoughts?" he gave her a simple nudge. Diana smiled. "I have been on this planet for a very long time, and I still do not understand that particular phrase. Do humans really believe thoughts to be worth a penny?" Kal-el shrugged before saying, "I don't know what it means either, and I actually lived with humans. Don't feel bad about not understanding their vernacular at times. But really, Diana, is everything okay?" he asked in concern. Diana released a heavy sigh. "I hated Shayera. I hated what she did to us. When they took her wings, I did not care. I thought she deserved it. I only fought them because you did. But I wanted her to feel how I felt when she betrayed us." Diana stared out into the distance. It was one hour before sunrise. "But then today, she said she did not tell her people any of our weaknesses."

"Yeah," Superman said. "That surprised me."

"I am thinking I may have been wrong in my assumptions of her. I do not know anything about her. I did not make an effort to get to know her before the invasion. We were the only two females on the team. We should have been as close as sisters. But I always kept her at an arm's length. When it turned out was a spy, and I was happy. I was justified in my reasons for not befriending her. But, maybe if I had been a friend to her…" Diana didn't finish that thought. "I thought she had told the Thanagarians everything about us. She was able to retrieve nuclear codes from countries without us knowing. And she handed the codes over to her kind without a second thought. Why did she lie about not knowing our weaknesses?"

"Before she flew away that day, she did say she didn't know the Thanagarians were planning an invasion."

"I didn't believe her," Diana said, tearing up. "I didn't believe her. I thought it was another lie. And so I hated her."

"Diana," Superman placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"When I close my eyes, I can still hear her scream," Diana said, pulling her knees to her chest. "That horrible cry, I have never heard such a heart wrenching noise in my life.

"You can't beat yourself up over this. You were not the only one mad at her that day. We all were."

"Wally was not. And Bruce once admitted that he might have done the same thing had he been in her position. And J'ohnn…" Diana thought back to that day. "Actually, I do not know what J'ohnn was thinking at all. He probably knows more about that invasion than any of us. He probably knows more than Shayera." Superman nodded in agreement. "I do not know what to do," Diana admitted.

"What do you want to do?" Superman asked.

"I want to yell at her. I want to hit her. And then I want to hug her and tell her how much I missed her." Superman stood to his feet and held a hand out to Diana. "What?" Diana asked, not sure what to do.

"Let's go. It's been a while since I've visited Bruce. And, I know he was planning on taking a few days off…just until this Thanagarian business is taken care of. He has been helping Shayera in her rehabilitation." Diana placed her hand in Superman's, and he helped her to her feet. "Wait," Diana said. "Do you know a country where it is daytime? I would like some strawberry ice cream." Superman laughed. "I actually taught myself how to make it," he said shyly. Diana's eyes widened with glee. "Really?" she gasped. Superman nodded. "How about we go to the Fortress of Solitude and…chill?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye as he pulled her closer.

"Like a date?" Diana asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Exactly, like a date."

"That would make it date number 3," Diana said.

"Is the third date special?"

"Not that I know of. I was just counting." Superman rubbed his nose against hers. "Let's go," he whispered, taking off into the night sky for some homemade ice cream…and whatever else followed.

Shri sat in the cafeteria, rigid and unmoving. According to the Martian Manhunter, it was almost 6 a.m., and the newer leaguers would be waking up right about…now. The doors to the cafeteria swished open, and Shri turned to see a group of heroes walk in. They froze when they saw the dark-skinned hawk sitting in their cafeteria. "Who are you?" a guy covered in blue from head to toe with pointy, thin wings sticking out from his back.

"Aren't you one of those bird-people who invaded us like three years ago?" another hero Shri could not see asked.

"It was two years ago," a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl stepped forward with her hands on her waist. She wore the same outfit Superman did, except she had a skirt. "Who are you?" the blonde asked, her eyes glowing red. "How'd you get in here?"

"Enough," the calm voice of the Martian Manhunter echoed throughout the cafeteria. He appeared right in front of the blonde, staring down at her. "Her name is Shri. She's our guest."

"Does my cousin know about this?" the girl demanded. Shri rolled her eyes. J'ohnn simply walked away from her. He didn't have time for this child's attitude and need to be the center of attention. He sat across from Shri. "That is Supergirl. She is the cousin of Superman," he stated. "You don't want to eat anything?"

"I am fine," Shri replied firmly.

"Shri," the green man said calmly, "you are safe here. You can relax." Shri looked down. She had never relaxed a day in her life. Thanagarians were trained to always be on guard, even when sleeping. "This is my first time away from home."

"You don't have family on Thanagar?"

"My parents were arrested and executed for speaking out against the ruling class. My mother was beheaded. My father died in prison. I was just entering my first year of training when they were arrested. I never saw them again. I was raised in a…a…um…you guys have a lot of them in Gotham. With bunches of children."

"Orphanage."

"Yes," Shri said, "orphanage. That is where I was raised before my recruitment into the Thanagarian army."

"I am sorry for all you've been through, Shri." Shri shrugged. "I am not. I do not even remember what my parents looked like."

"But learning how to fight from an early age is no childhood."

"I do not know what a childhood is, but I survived my first obstacle course at age 5. I was…humans say…overachiever," Shri stated proudly. Her face then fell. "What is it?" J'ohnn asked curiously.

"If I do survive this…invasion. I will be expulsus…banished from Thanagar."

"Shri, I thought it was obvious," J'ohnn said. Shri stared at him confusion. "You are welcome to stay here, on Earth."

"Where?" she asked.

"Here. In the Watchtower."

"With them?" she pointed to group of young heroes openly gaping at her and the Martian Manhunter. "Why can't I stay with you?" The Martian Manhunter blinked his red eyes once, then twice. For a moment, he said absolutely nothing. "You would want to live with me?" he asked

"Yeah. You're the only one who really talks to me. And I don't want to be stuck here in this building. I will feel trapped. Do you not live on Earth?"

"I do live on Earth."

"You do not have enough room in your house?"

"I have plenty of room."

"You just do not want me there."

"That is not it at all, Shri," J'ohnn said firmly. "I just was not expecting you to ask that." J'ohnn paused, seemingly weighing his options. He stood up. "Come with me. I will show you where I live."

"Really?" Shri asked, not bothering to hide her excitement.

"Yes, besides, you have been locked up in here for almost a month. You need some air," he said as he escorted her out the cafeteria, ignoring the prying and spiteful eyes around them.