Disclaimer: I do not own DC or any of their associated characters
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"...Where with you" Once again Wally found himself blessed to experience life on the quicker side, In the time it took Shayera and John to reorient themselves, barely a second; he had zipped from the platform to stand in front of John and exclaim.
"What the hell is wrong with you? A vote!? I don't believe this! A vote!? We're putting that to a vote!?" He ran his hands through his hair savagely. Paced back and forth 50 times too quickly for anyone to see and decided;
"I can't even be around you right now man, I'm out"
"So how'd that business go?" Mr Terrific asked as Wally zipped out the door. John didn't respond he simply took the opportunity to storm out of main ops as well. Shayera swore in Thanagarian and started after him.
"That good huh? Mr Terrific said to the now empty deck.
The Watchtower had gotten busier in their time away as afternoon and evening shifts commenced. But everyone from League members to civilian staff hastily got out of the resident Green Lantern's way. After years of working alongside Batman they couldn't say they weren't experienced at it. Many did however pause as Shayera barrelled after him.
"John! John for Icthultu's sake would you stop?"
Those more attuned to the more soap opera aspects of the space station they worked on, of which there were many, tucked what they had seen and heard away to be shared with others of their ilk.
John paid no attention to anything around him, he just kept going until he reached an observation lounge and couldn't go any further. He had a full two seconds to gather his thoughts before Shayera burst in.
"What the hell was that?" She demanded.
"I..." John began but Shayera didn't give him a chance to continue,
"A vote? Wally's right we can't put something like this to a vote! Even if we could we can't send her back..."
That was true John supposed. Even if he held a vote despite everyone's insistence that he couldn't and he got majority, the Lord's Batman had been the one to construct the portal that had initially joined their worlds. Their Batman would never make it's equal and nothing could force his hand.
"...What were you thinking!?"
"You weren't exactly thrilled to see her either" John said. That took a little of the wind from Shayera's wings, forcing her anger to stutter. It didn't take long however before she'd rallied back with a;
"I don't trust the Lords"
"You never even met them!"
"Exactly! They electrocuted me, beat me and strapped me to a bed in Arkham!"Shayera cried. She didn't remember much of the encounter between the Lords and the League, only another J'onn telling them the dimensions were collapsing, a white box, searing pain and then a green blast.
"How do we know this isn't another trick? Diana's a bleeding heart, I would've expected her to be taken in by a sob story but Bruce?"
"You mean like the story of a poor police officer from far away who got sucked through a wormhole in a chase and can't find her way home again?"
"It worked didn't it?" Shayera accepted the sting of John's words; she always tried to take her penance gracefully.
John didn't see things as a trick as Shayera did. Perhaps in a way they were both falling back on what they knew. He into the rigid order the Green Lanterns were supposed to enforce and Shayera into the mindset of a spy and saboteur. Neither viewpoint was serving them all that well and both, John could reflect now, had caused them to achieve the exact opposite of what they had set out to do. But that, ironic as it was, wasn't the point here. The point was;
"It's not meant to be this way" John said softly.
"What?" Shayera asked
"It's not meant to be like this" John repeated forcing strength into voice enough to give Shayera pause.
"When we went to the future Bruce was there as an old man and he was alone."
Well there had been the boy, the new Batman but John wasn't sure where he fit in the big picture.
"So let me get this straight" Shayera crossed her arms and cocked her head at him, "You and Bruce went to the future. Bruce was alone and we had a son"
"Yes..."John began but Shayera continued over him
"You told me you weren't going to be destinies puppet."
"I'm not" He wasn't. The idea that his fate was set went against everything John believed. He had never let things be decided for him, he had gone out and done the deciding. He lived the way he willed, not the way anyone else did. And he certainly wasn't about to let a concept as abstract as destiny change that.
"But you believe Bruce should be"
He opened his mouth instinctively to protest but nothing came. He had never considered that, not once. John realised it had never even occurred to him. He had thought about the future a lot since seeing it and in all those imaginings Bruce had been there; not so much as an active character but a part of the background scenery. John, Shayera, Mari and the ever present spectre of Rex paraded across the stage of his mind working to constantly changing scripts, never once settling into the roles John had actually observed. While a white haired Bruce clutched a walking stick and sat before a makeshift monitor bank exactly as he had, completely unchangeable.
John had never realised the paradox in believing his future was in his own hands while Bruce's was set. He'd been too busy feeling sorry for himself and his situation and look where it had gotten him.
He had messed up and worse he had dragged Shayera down with him. She was, John noted, perfectly capable of messing things up herself and probably would have found a way without standing by him. Her way had it come it to that would have been quick and probably violent. But then it would've been over with. They would have all said or shouted their pieces, taken and given their hits, licked their wounds and made their peace within an hour. His actions had been underhanded and hadn't left quick easily healed cuts as Shayera's would have but rather a deep festering wound. And he had no idea how to heal it.
"John, I don't know what you want" Shayera's voice was soft and hesitant. Unsure. It didn't suit her. Nothing about the way he had been acting lately suited her but she was still there, standing fiercely by him as she had always done even as it cost her. On a Thanagarian war ship, in an Egyptian tomb, in an unfinished nursery.
"So I hope you do" And with those piercing words she left.
What did he want? John reflected as he gazed absently out the window into the blackness of space. It wasn't a question he asked himself frequently, mainly because he'd never really had to. He'd always just seemed to know; the getting it might not have always been easy but he'd never struggled with the deciding.
He had said he wasn't going to be a puppet but the problem with that was it left him stringless. He felt like there was nothing guiding him anymore, even the choices he had vehemently insisted were his to make had turned on him. They had led him here after all.
What did he want?
Well for starters to go back a few hours and never say what he had but that ship had sailed. Not knowing the future would also be nice but was equally unobtainable. Strange to both want and despise the ability to time travel but John couldn't help but muse that he was getting used to such paradoxes.
Maybe that was what allowed his next thought; if he hadn't seen the future, if he had never known, never so much as had a clue of his possible existence would he still want Rex?
The answer was a resounding yes.
And that was that.
Choice made.
The anger that had buzzed like radio static in his brain, drowning out thought and making his actions seem far away and fuzzy when he'd entered the observation lounge was gone as he left it. Replaced by a renewed purpose that still had leaguers ducking out of the way of his stride.
Evening and overnight shifts had commenced ensuring a much more subdued atmosphere aboard the station. The dormitory deck hummed with the background noise of it's many occupants, on call for the night but nothing rose high enough to be distinct.
John made his way to one door in particular and keyed in the code. It slid open as he knew it would to a darkened room. The bundle of blankets on the bed stirred a little and let out a sleepy;
"That you Boo?"
"It's me" John stepped through the doorway and it slid shut after him. Any answer that hadn't been in the affirmative would've seen that sleepy tone disappear and an amulet snatched from where John knew it was resting on the bedside cabinet. But upon hearing it Mari shuffled closer to the wall leaving room and blankets for him. She wasn't scheduled for duty overnight but John knew she preferred to stay on the station when she had morning shifts.
"You OK?" Mari asked eventually after John made no motion to join her. Her voice was hoarse with sleep but John knew before he flicked the light on that her appearance would be immaculate. He wasn't wrong Mari was as striking in pyjamas as she was on a runway. Her worried expression would not be gracing a magazine spread any time soon however.
"John what's wrong?' She pushed herself up from the bed on her hands, a lifelong stomach sleeper.
That had been comforting when they'd started out, John had definitely been familiar with that arrangement and not having to adjust had made things easier. Mari had made things easier overall and maybe John realised that was why he hadn't discouraged first her attention and later her advances.
"Mari there's something I need to tell you, something I haven't been honest about"
Mari didn't say anything to that she merely got up and sat on the edge of the bed leaving a spot for him beside her. Her face was calm, collected she'd probably practised keeping it that way, just as she had any number of expressions.
John had always liked her even temper, he had been so used to the opposite. Mari was smooth, always unruffled and unphased. Now as he took his place beside her he was reminded of the old adage 'Still waters run deep' and wondered what was behind those almond eyes. A guilty voice told him he should have taken the time to ask instead of just believing Mari not displaying strong feelings meant she didn't have them, but he had been so determined to keep things easy between them.
Well things weren't easy now and they weren't getting any easier. Better to just get it over with. John took a deep breath;
"I'm going to have a son"
At some point during the day Wally's ability to stick his foot in his mouth must have rubbed off on him. Mari still didn't say anything though her expression was far from calm. Hurt and betrayal battled for dominance over a well placed backdrop of shock. She was also whether by instinct or purposeful preservation leant away from him.
"I don't mean..." John began his brain fully catching up to the implications of what he'd said but immediately aborting any follow ups the moment they arose leaving him to flounder.
"What I mean," He immediately followed with, latching on to whatever he could; "Is I will have a son in the future"
It wasn't much better for digging him out of the hole he was in but as the words left his mouth they solidified his choice and John found his proverbial feet. With firmer footing he tried again;
"Mari what I'm trying to say is; Batman and I travelled about 40 years into the future and I had a son"
"With Shayera" Mari spoke at last. Her tone was completely even making it so her words could never be taken for a question. They were a plain, straight statement. John turned his face to observe hers, to his surprise the hurt was gone and the calm was back accented now by an odd wistful lilt in her lips.
"You're going to be a wonderful father" She said, this time something like warmth took hold of her tone confusing John.
"I don't understand. You're not hurt? Angry?" John couldn't deny he was glad she wasn't but it still left him unsure. He had been expecting hurt anger and didn't know what to do without them.
Mari turned to face straight ahead, after a moments silence she spoke.
"Do you know what I want for my life?" She asked
"I uh," John tried to think
"You don't. Because we never really talked about it" She turned back to him with a smile.
"What I want, what I've planned is to do this and model until I can't anymore. Then I'm going to retire to my homeland and pass the amulet on to my sister. Maybe I'll write a book or something equally cliche" Mari gave a small chuckle before her features settled back into their resting tranquility.
"I don't want children, I never have. But you should have that opportunity; the way you're always looking out for the rookies around here, guiding them. And I've seen you with Flash, John if anyone should be a Father it's you" She took his hand and squeezed it earnestly.
John hadn't known that because she was right, they hadn't talked about it. They should've talked, shouldn't they? That was what couples were supposed to do, talk with eachother, share their wants and plans. But they hadn't and John could see that in their own ways neither had been honest with the other simply through omission.
"You know it's funny" Mari said "But thinking about it I never pictured you there with me. Maybe I knew" She smiled and for the very first time John saw exactly what was behind her eyes; imaginings of the life she'd planned for herself before him and would go on to have after him. Exactly how she's pictured and intended it and he understood somehow that just as she couldn't truly stand in the path of his future he'd never really stood in the path of hers either.
"I never meant to hurt you Mari" John still felt compelled to say. Mari squeezed his hand again.
"You didn't, we had fun didn't we?"
"Yeah" John cracked a smile. He would never say that the time they'd spent together hadn't been enjoyable. That she hadn't been just what he'd needed at the time. She'd been there to take some of the sting out of Shayera's betrayal and departure and remind him that there were non winged women in the world.
Non winged women there may be but John knew now they would never be for him and Bruce had been right. Pretending otherwise had only been wasting everyone's time.
Lips pressed chastely against his cheek before Mari released his hand and settled back down on the bed.
"My shift starts at 0600, stay with me until then"
John did.
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Yeah I think I'm going to stick to writing Wonderbat, although some of you may be thinking that I haven't been doing a whole lot of that so far either! All in good time guys, all in good time. You just need to hope it'll be worth the wait. Anyway sorry this chapter took so long and that this is all there is to show for it, my original intent was to combine this set up with the foreboding founders meeting but it took so long to get written and ready for reading that I'm pushing ahead just to give y'all something to tide you over. So consider this an interlude.
Story Notes
The Great Old Knock Off: In the episode 'The Terror Beyond' a plan by Doctor Fate and Aquaman to stop an ancient evil from returning to this dimension gets interrupted by our heroes and leads to the revelation that the Thanagarian's once worshipped this being who's name 'Icthultu' and design are clear rip off's of HP. Lovecrafts 'Cthulhu'. Rather than facing copyright infringement the Thanagarian's quickly decided religion just wasn't for them.
It worked, for a while: Shayera's 'backstory' before the big reveal in 'Starcrossed' was that of the original Hawkgirl's in the comics; a police officer from Thanagar who while chasing a criminal was sucked into a wormhole and ended up on Earth with no way home again. In the cartoon particularly throughout season 2 there are several inconsistencies in her story that hint all is not what it seems.
Alright well that's that. John/Mari/Shayera triangle solved, what am I going to do with them now? I dunno but I will say this I actually really like what the show did with Mari's character overall and think she deserves far better than simply being killed off so John and Shayera can be together unlike a certain comic. It would have been so easy with so many fans already aboard the SS HG/GL to make Mari unlikeable but the production crew took the high road and gave us an interesting, compelling character who was worthy of the audience's respect. And it's not often you can say that about a character who's sole purpose is to disrupt a couple, let alone a fan favourite couple.
As always I'd love to hear your thoughts. I accept criticism of my work I only ask that it be constructive
Ari out!