"6!"
"7!"
Lantern frowned. She was ahead of him. Again.
He dodged a punch from the thug attacking him, using his ring to slam him into another gang member. He turned to yell his score, but Hawk girl had disappeared. Looking to his left he saw about 9 more men run at him. How many of these punks were there, anyway? He heard a voice above him.
"You can fall down, or you can stay down," it said, and suddenly three were laying on the ground. "But I guarantee you won't be getting up again," Shayera finished. Her mace flew, and another fell.
GL knocked the guns from the gang's hands, and took four out
With his ring. Shayera finished up the fight with a blow to the last one's jaw. He lay still.
She turned to him then. "I win again."
"Just by one..." John mumbled.
She grinned ferally, and then took to the air. He followed and they landed on a rooftop above. It was windy that night, and her red hair blew in her face. She flung it back, tucking it behind her ear. Moonlight danced on her face.
Then she spoke.
"So, we done here?"
I stare at her before I have to shake my head to get my thoughts back on what she said.
" Umm yeah I guess, want to head back?" I ask as I watch her.
The moon, a pale blue, shone fully above us; my breath catches each time I look at her, as it accents each part perfectly.
"Yeah," I hear a voice some where in the distance; if ever there were angels surly none could look as beautiful as the one I am seeing. I once again shake my head .'"What I--sorry, Hawk girl , my mind was wandering. ." Yeah right I tell my self, you were ogling one very beautiful hawk in front of you.
"I said I was ready if you were. Really Lantern where *is*
Your mind at tonight?" she laughs as she heads back to the Javelin, which reminds me - I need to get Batman to run a diagnostic on it when we return. It's been acting up a lot here lately.
"I like it here , the sand is so warm...look how the moon
Plays across the water." I could hear the contintful sigh "I asked if you wanted to stay a while longer?" "No," she replies, "Brazil is nice but I want to get back, I have a couple of things I need to take care of." Sure Lantern, she thinks to herself, nothing would have pleased me more, than to walk alone on this beach with you so I can tell you how I feel. "We can wait awhile if you want to..." *please* "No, as I said I need to get back " *WHY!!!?????* Shayera sighs, she could have smacked her self right about then "Something wrong?" "No, let's go the way the Javelin's been acting up I want to get it back and checked out." she sighs and boards the plane taking the controls Lantern takes the seat beside her.
Shayera takes the controls and hits the switch for lift off. The engine makes a weird noise, like a frog being squeezed. Quickly, she shuts it down. "What was that?" asks Lantern. "No idea. I'll have a look," Shayera says and she gets out again. Lifting the "trunk" she takes a peek at the engine. "Weird..." she says as Lantern joins her. "I don't see anything wrong...I wonder if Flash substituted our starter cables for spaghetti..." John rolls his eyes. "Want me to start it up again?" "Yeah," comes the reply as Hawk girl inspects the machinery. He stares at her figure for a second, her concentrated expression and narrowed eyes, her finely-toned arms and quick hands working rapidly on the screws and such of the engine. She doesn't notice, so he is glad she doesn't catch him staring. "Okay," she says, slamming the flap back down. "I don't think it's got anything to do with the engine, but I tightened the controls a little. Maybe that will help." GL nods and enters the ship and a second later the death-of-a-mutated-cow sounds loudly. John needs no further cue and turns it off. "That was worse than before," he mutters. He re-emerges from the ship, almost afraid to see how Shayera will react. He fears her temper like no other. Indeed, she is fuming.
Lantern :
"It's one of the boosters," she says. "Dead."
"Maybe we can get them boosted enough to get us home?" I ask as I watch her fume. Looking closer I chuckle a bit. "What!?" came an irritated reply.
"You got a bit of grease on your cheek" I explain and proceed to wipe it off. My wipes become caresses however and her body close to mine . Is nearly driving me to the edge. I back away Breathing a bit to hard as she looks at me.
" Why did you do that?" "Do what?"
"Wipe off the grease." "Sorry."
"Yeah...sure... No problem," she says giving me a strange look. She had taken of the HawkMask some time ago, and I cannot help but notice how beautiful she is...
I sigh. "So what are our chances of getting out of here?"
"Pretty good actually... One of the booster packs is dead...I can bleed some power off the other and get us home. Give me about 30 minuets to complete the transfer...and pray Flash didn't screw up that one as well." She laughs but deep down I know she is worried. The others were all on another mission and wouldn't be back for days. I had planned on using this time to try and tell her how I feel...hoping I didn't end up eating that mace of hers for breakfast
Shayera :
This work is exhausting. It's already 10:00 Brazil time. I've been working on this stupid hunk of metal for over 45 minutes. Yes, I lied. It will be a while before this thing got off the ground. I switch wires and plugs, yanking out different parts, not even bothering to put some back in. As I work, I try to keep my mind off what I've been thinking of for who knows how long. Geez, I hate myself sometimes. Mind on the mission. Yeah right. Even now I'm wondering where he is. He wondered off, leaving me here with the ship. It's just as well. I work better alone...sometimes. I probably wouldn't do well having him watch me. It'd just get my heart pounding faster and faster. But at the same time... No. I tell myself. Don't go there. But I want to. You're pathetic, Shy. Thank you, Captain Obvious. What were you doing again? Thinking about...shut up. Grrrrrr. I want to smack myself again. Looking at what work I have left, I sigh. I just want to rest my eyes...just for a second. To look at something other than machinery. To feel something other than cold steel. Like his hands. Arrrgh. Shut. Up. I tell myself, as I slip into a dreamy state, and then to sleep. I know I shouldn't. But in sleep, there are dreams. And there is one specific dream I feel like dreaming right now. He'll find you, the other part of me says. I don't care, I retort. Yes you do. Fine. I care about him. Shayera!!!!! Night... And knowing I'll hate myself when I awake, I fall asleep.
Lantern:
I wandered down the coast a ways, looking out over the blue of the ocean, and I sigh. The beach was warm... like her eyes... Stop it! I shout at my self. You know you will never be able to hold her...to love her...to be with her...Why try? I make my way back up the coast and see her laying on the ground.
My heart skips a beat.
"Shy!" I call out, and I see her jump mace in hand looking around. Her eyes fall upon me and she relaxes. "What did you YELL for?" she asks aggravated, I must have interrupted her nap. I look around - she's made progress, I could tell "Bout done, I needed a break," I hear her mumble. She goes back, avoiding eye contact with me. "Anything I can do to help?" "Yeah get me some light..." My ring flashes and illuminates her work area as if it was morning. "Thanks." Half an hour later she asks me to go start the Javelin. I do and sure enough it starts, sounding better than it did the first time. She closes the hatch and climbs aboard taking the controls. It lifts and we are finally heading home...
Lantern
Shayera walks down the aisle, her feathers brushing past my arm. I struggle to control my breathing, while pretending to be busy with the controls.
"Readings are weak...we have to hurry," she says, walking back, taking the other set of controls.
"1 hour," I reply, checking the LCD display.
"Till we crash or till we get there?" she asks wryly.
"Not sure," I say. "Aren't you the pilot?"
She gives me a look. Bad move. I make an attempt to cover it up. It doesn't work. She rolls her eyes and I beat myself mentally. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Suddenly, the ship lurches awkwardly.
"Oh great," I hear her mutter. "Just great."
We wrestle with the controls, and just when it feels like we've mastered them, I feel us start to sink.
This can't be good.
I sit in my seat watching her, as she fights the controls with everything she has. We aren't even half way through the atmosphere when the engine decides it's had all it can take. I hear a low curse come from her as she keeps fighting. "Brace yourself Lantern, nothing I can do...it's gone...' she says matter of factly.
I am wondering how she could be so calm in a situation such as this. I pull my belt as tight as I can as I watch the tree line come closer and closer. "Any way to miss the trees?" I ask hopefully but the look in her eyes told me no. I duck down, wishing she could do the same as the first tree hit. I hear another curse as I hear the sound of metal tearing. Its creaks and groans are painful to my ears, she jerks hard on the controls, as the Javelin suddenly goes sideways. Another tree hits and all control is gone. The only thing I can remember is the sound of something large slamming into the nose and I get ripped from my seat and slung back into the main part of the cabin where the world explodes and then nothing.
My last conscious thought was Shayera.
Lantern
I awake groggily...not really knowing where I am. Then I remember what happened, and my eyes expect to see shards of metal and tree branches. Instead, I feel grass underneath me, and turning over, I see a face blurring my vision.
Am I in heaven? I wonder.
"GL! John, can you hear me?! JOHN!" a woman's voice calls out to me. The angel looks so much like Shayera...then I realize it IS her. My eyes open wider.
"Shy?" I ask wearily.
She breathes a sigh of relief. Her hair in crinkled and in her face. She has a couple cuts on her face and scrapes on her neck. I see a bruise forming on her shoulder.
She's never looked more beautiful to me than this moment.
"What happened?" I manage to ask.
"We crashed," she tells me sardonically. "Can you stand?" She offers me a hand and pulls me up.
"Ugh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning," I say dryly.
"Be careful what you wish for," she says. "It's morning already."
She's right. The sun is rising over the Brazil trees and the sun highlights her face and hair.
"What?" she asks as she catches me staring.
"Nothing...are you okay?"
She pauses before answering.
"I'll live." She shrugs and turns. But then the wind picks up, blowing her hair off her shoulder. I catch sight of a deep cut running from her collarbone to her shoulder.
"Shy, your shoulder!" I cry, grabbing her arm, pulling her to a halt. I reach under the fall of her hair to get a better look. I hear her breath freeze.
Then I realize how close I am to her.
"It's nothing " she replies quickly, easing her arm out of my grasp.
"Shy." I warn, I could see.
"I'm fine we need to concentrate on getting out of here; as for
Right now we are stuck. We have no communication devises at all - everything was completely destroyed in the crash. Also our navigation equipment is gone...so as far as I know, we are out in the middle of a Brazilian rain forest with no supplies." She says matter of factly. None of it sinks in as I watch her... I sigh
"Will you slow down a moment " I finally say "We will be fine we have emergency supplies on board and we have shelter . We can always find food and water. So we aren't to bad off." I explain
"I know ," she says looking around, for the first time I get a
Good look at the crash the Javelin was sitting nose down the pilot section of the plane was all but gone, how she escaped that mangled mess was beyond me.
"Shayera... were you in the pilots seat when it landed?" I ask.
"Yeah ... I escaped through a hole on the other side."
"You sure your all right other than the cut?" I ask my head felt like a weight was attached.
"Stop worrying, I'm fine. Concentrate on getting a makeshift living
Quarters together. I have a feeling we are going to be here a while."
"Sure." I say. That was all I could think of. She nods and turns, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. I love it when she does that. She doesn't know it, but I could trace every move she's ever made. Though if I told her I'd end up with a dent in my skull. Oi, I've listened to Flash too much. She's not really like that...not at heart. She threatens her friends...like Flash...like that, but she wouldn't. Deep down, I know she's caring, and very capable of love.
I just wish I'd get the guts to believe that and act on it. Ironic, I tell myself as I walk through the forest to search for a sturdy tree to form a tent or something. Ironic, how after years in the military, in the MARINE corps, you'd think I'd be able to face anything and everything. But that's the way it is with most guys, isn't it? The boy can never talk to the girl. The girl laughs at him, and then, rather than feel rejected, just is blown away by her smile.
I feel like a ten-year-old every time I'm near her. I hate it. But at the same time I love it.
Argh. Pay attention to what you're doing.
I snap out of my trance and spot a strong tree about 20 yards away. I rush back, stopping once in a while to make my head stop falling off my shoulders.
I get back to what is left of the shuttle and see a small pile of things Shay's salvaged from the wreck. I see a couple blankets, cans of dried food, some large metal plates from the ship's wings, a lighter, a couple torn cushions, and a box of matches.
"I found a good spot," I tell her. "It's safe inside the forest, but not too far from the water or the beach. There are two trees that have intertwined that will provide good shelter."
"Great," she smiles at me. I know it's strained. I know she's worried how long we'll hold out. It doesn't matter. I return her smile, and sit down, my head starting to ache.
"You okay?" she asks, sliding down to land gracefully next to me.
"Yeah..." I start, but I know she doesn't believe me.
Shayera Automatically, I put my hand under his chin to look into his eyes for a concussion. I don't really think of it much. When I do realize what I'm doing, I try to cover it up. "You might have a bit of a concussion," I tell him.
"What do you prescribe, Dr. Hol?" he jokes.
"Rest," I tell him.
"No sedatives," he tells me firmly.
"You sound like me," I laugh.
"And you sound like J'onn, so we're even."
I roll my eyes.
~TAG~
"Well you aren't in such good shape your self hot shot. :" I mutter , she frowns and turns back 'What are you talking about?" " That cut's deep and we have nothing to disinfect it with nor do we have anything to stitch it up .' She sighs and then smiles "Stop worrying about me will you . Your in a lot worse shape than I am." She said as she bends down to gather up our stuff, I start to help but she quickly shoos me away "Go sit down before you fall down " she says pushing me towards a log. 'But you." " Will be fine . So stop or I will add another knot to that head.' I could hear the playful banter behind the words and I smile. So stubborn so lovely . My heart skips a beat each time I see her every time I hear her voice "Lantern you all right?" I hear her voice cut through my thoughts "Hmm yeah why?" " Don't know you had this stupid grin on your face ." I see her wince . But I know if I move she will shoot me down again so I stay put and just watch
Shayera 'I wonder if he could feel the same, and know how much I am concerned about him. Even with him sitting down I miss his gentle touches and his strong confident voice I glance over and see him sitting with this big goofy grin , and briefly hope it's me that he's thinking of. But I know it's not. I'm not that lucky ... I feel my shoulder pull when I lift the piece of metal from the wing I refuse to tell him I twisted it when I crashed . That would be all we need . Him with a concussion and I with a banged up shoulder ... I sigh... and look up a storms approaching typical weather or so I'm told " We need to hurry . I need to get you under some shelter . Storms coming " I explain he looks up and nods gentle
(Sorry for the delay - schoolwork is murder!)
Lantern Within a matter of minutes all the supplies are under the dense forest. She works quickly, despite her injuries. The tall leaves of the trees above us provide some protection, but she flies over some of the steel plates from the ship's wreckage to block out the rain. Our quarters are small, but not cramped.
"Whew," she pants as she kneels underneath the shelter she created. Her hair is dripping, and the way it clings to her face makes me smile. She could never be anything but beautiful. She leans against the tree, breathing hard. Her hand grabs a small blanket, and she dries off her hair and face.
"That was fun," she says sarcastically. "How long you think that storm'll last?"
"Who knows," I reply. "We're in the rainforest, these storms could last hours or seconds."
She cracks her neck and sighs. "Night," she says, pretending to collapse on the ground.
"It's three in the afternoon," I point out, laughing.
"Shut. Up." she teases back, turning so that her hair covers her face, but her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter. "So now what?" she asks, once she quiets.
"We should probably get a fire started once the rain stops...it'll get cooler soon," I say casually.
"Sounds good," she murmurs. I watch her breath as she sleeps, slipping the blanket over her shoulders. "Sweet dreams," I whisper, knowing she can't hear.
Three hours later
Shayera : I roll over and quickly bite my tongue, I hurt in places I didn't know existed I lay there a few moments before I decide to check on John rolling over into a sitting position "John?" "Hey sleep well?" I hear him ask and quickly hid my smile knowing he is all right made all my pain disappear for a minuet "I did thank you" I reply looking over I notice he had a fire going "I'm doing better the pain and dizziness isn't as bad. I went back to the ship after the rain stopped." " You did?" "Yeah found a couple more blankets and some other things we needed " "Really now, I would have gotten them later" " You need your sleep." "Right and you didn't come over here and let me check you out " I blush at how that sounded , and quickly turn my head so that it wasn't noticeable, he sets a while longer and I wonder if he was thinking what I was ... sighing I look back up and see a grin on his face . " Sorry that came out wrong ." " That's all right... I wanted to check your shoulder now that we have shelter and things." he said as he came to sit by me . "I'm fine to tough not to be ."I joke back , he laughs as the tension recedes again . My breath quickens just a bit from him being so near... I wish I could tell him right then and there and let every thing take it's own course . If I did maybe when he. "Lantern?" I ask noticing a fair away look on his face "Hmm oh sorry . My mind was off on it's on adventure.' he said with a wry grin. "Right." I nodded and raise a hand to his head feeling around I find a small goose egg near his left ear just behind it actually ,"Gotta a pretty good lump back there. So don't stress your self to much."
"Yes, Dr. Hol," he says. "Stop that," I tell him. "Or you'll have more than one lump on that head." He pretends to cower in fright. "So...um..." I start. "How do we get the others to know we're here? Our comm. links aren't strong enough to connect planets - we'd need the Watchtower for that." "And the Javelin's kaput," he reminds me. "So what do we do? Wait for them to call us? How incredibly BORING!" I knock my head purposely against a tree trunk. "Ow..." I mumble. "You brought that on yourself, ya know," John laughs. "Something I've been doing a lot lately," I mumble. A confused look crosses his face, but in my stupid fear of rejection I say nothing. Instead I stand, making faces. It didn't really hurt all that much, but it kept me from making noises that would have been equally strange. "Man, I'm starving...ooh, canned tuna. Extra tinny flavor."
Lantern
I laugh, even though the joke was weak. I can tell she didn't feel like being funny right now. I try to engage my comm. link, but all I get is static.
"They aren't
Back yet, and who knows how long until they will return, let alone discover we, as well as the Javelin, are missing."
Shayera: I look at Lantern and raise my arm to swat him gently only to end up wincing .I quickly cover and swat him using my other hand 'Give me time" I tell him slightly irritated. I stand only to go back tot he ground.
Lantern looks over at me. "Shayera is something wrong?"
"No." I tell him flatly. And get to my feet ignoring everything that seems to be hurting right then. Taking out a frying pan that was stashed along with the emergency supplies , I cook us a small
Meal I however touch nothing.
"Aren't you gonna eat?" he asks . I shrug pushing the small amount of food around on my plate.
Come on Shy. You need to eat keep up your strength it' s no telling how long we are going to be here." he encourages in that same sweet. Voice.
I cringe. 'Look I will do what I can to get us both out of this situation... o.k. Stop pushing me." I exploded "You think you can do any better, then by all means . Have at it!"
"Shy. I didn't---"
"Didn't what? Think I can handle this? Think I can rig us up something to call for help? Or what? Spill it Lantern. Something's been on your mind so why not get it out in the open right now!"
I watch as Lantern takes a deep breath
"Fine... you want to know. No I didn't think you couldn't get us out of here - I knew you could. No I don't believe you are incapable of rigging up something to get us home."
He walked closer
"What else get it all out."? I bark harshly. My temples decided to explode right then and I wince. But keep my composure
"What else do you want me to say?"
"What ever has been plaguing you since we left..."
" I really don't."
"Don't what, Lantern? Think I am big enough to handle whatever insults you can through at me. Or big enough to hear like every other man on that station you love Diana?"
"That's not ... she doesn't" he stammers for an explanation. I roll my eyes.
"Look, why don't I save us both an embarrassment, o.k?" My voice is creaking. I'm on the verge of tears. "I didn't think you could ever like me that way...never did. I knew you liked her the way every one else did...she's the immortal super-model. How am I supposed to compete with that? So why not get it out of your system instead of walking around here with those stupid grins on your face each time you think of her..." I am so weak from my rant. "I need some air..." I tell him quietly. "Feel free to finish my plate. When I get back, I will work on getting us Something to call the tower or send a SOS signal or both." I take to the air.
I land someplace down the coast a ways. My arm and head by now is throbbing but compared to my heart it's nothing. I knew it. I just... I knew he couldn't love me...
I sit down looking over the ocean and let the tears fall. Not bothering to hold them back... I here something land behind me and I whirl to see him there. Great.
"What do you want?"
" I think you need to hear what I have to say."
"I don't want to." I say, standing up, moving to walk away. He grabs my arm, and I let out a groan of pain. He forces me to look at him, holding both my arms now.
"Shy, listen to me..." he starts.
That does it. I look away from him, praying that he won't see the tears that are streaming down my face now. I hate it when I cry in front of people like this.
Then, his hand is on my cheek. No, I tell myself. I won't let him look me in the eye. Though shaking, I pull away. "No!" I sob, running down the rocky terrain to the beach. My vision is blurry from my tears...I don't care. He's going to follow me. I don't care.
My chest burning, my lungs aching for air - between running and crying, stumbling and all - I have to stop. I place a hand on a large boulder to steady myself. Shoulders shaking, racking with sobs, I lean against it. I place a hand to my face, as if to stanch the tears. It fails miserably. I weep openly. The knowledge that my feelings aren't reciprocated - I can't handle it!!
I never knew pain could hurt so much...
I raise my face to the sky. At the same time, I hear his footstep on the rocks behind me. I refuse to turn and face him.
We stand there for an eternity. I can feel his eyes boring into me. The wind whips around us, cold and harsh.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He's coming closer.
Step.
Step.
With each of his strides I feel my heart begin to pound. I can't run forever. I have to face this.
Step.
I just...wish it didn't have to happen.
Step.
He's right behind me.
"If you're not going to listen to me talk," I hear his voice say. "Then maybe this will get the message across."
And before I can react, his hands grab my shoulders and jerk me around.
I feel his lips press against mine.
And I'm stunned.
Time stops.
My breathing is hard and labored as a rush of emotions flow through my chest.
I wrap my arms around him holding on. If I am dreaming let me die, for I don't want to wake And face another day hiding what's inside me. Something I never felt with Carter . Or any other I've been with...he brings a sigh to my lips each time I see him, a flutter to my heart each time he speaks, a cold shiver to my spine each time he touches me.
'Do you understand what I have been trying to tell you now?" he asks gently as he dries the tears from my face. I nod, unable to speak.
"Diana may love Batman, and Flash may have a crush on her and you... But I love you. My heat beats faster each time I see you...so many words form in my brain to tell you when I speak to you. But I fail to tell you how radiant , how beautiful your truly are. I thank my God each and every day for bringing me into that team... " He tells me. I am still too stunned. My legs deny me the right to move. He knows, and then lifts me up to carry me back.
"Lantern stop..." I say quietly, finally finding my voice. "I need to sort out my emotions."
"No. For once you will listen. Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to tell you, but haven't in fear that you would just laugh at me and ridicule me?"
" As many times as I thought the same..."
He sets me down and looks at me straight in the eyes.
"Oh God, Shayera... maybe this is just a way of smacking us upside the head and telling us to listen to what our hearts have been telling us."
I laugh. " Possibly."
"I don't want to loose you ... ever" he says and grabs me by my shoulders; bringing me close...I wince as he does so.
"You're hurt, aren't you? All this time you been taking care of me instead of your self."
'It's nothing - just the cut..."
"Somehow I don't believe you," he says picking me up again. I protest , even though my body is telling me to shut up. Sighing I lay my head against his shoulder . My heart settles peacefully and happiness I never thought I could ever know engulfs me.
The world could end at that moment and I would die happy.
He carries me back to the shelter, setting me down gently. His hand moves to the first aid kit we scrounged up from the wreck, but I grab his uniform, dragging him back to my mouth, overwhelmed by a passion I can't control. He surrenders willingly, and I fall out of consciousness - all my energy is focused on him.
After what seems like an eternity, we part, gasping for breath. Our foreheads touching.
"I love you," I hear him murmur in my ear. I grin.
"I know," I reply. He returns my smirk, moving to kiss me again...
"Hawk girl, Green Lantern. This is Superman, do you copy? We cannot place the location of the Javelin, are you all right?"
I frown, dejectedly. Pouting, I activate my comm. link. "Yeah, we're fine."
"You sound out of breath..." he observes.
"We....had a little adventure...." I snatch the words from the air. John struggles not to laugh, so I push him away.
Now he pouts.
"Where are you?" Superman asks.
"Brazilian coast," GL replies. He gives Superman the exact location as I've completely blanked out after all that's happened.
"They'll be here in an hour," John says once he's done.
"Plenty of time..." I whisper, and his lips nourish mine again, and I feel as though I'll never get enough.
"7!"
Lantern frowned. She was ahead of him. Again.
He dodged a punch from the thug attacking him, using his ring to slam him into another gang member. He turned to yell his score, but Hawk girl had disappeared. Looking to his left he saw about 9 more men run at him. How many of these punks were there, anyway? He heard a voice above him.
"You can fall down, or you can stay down," it said, and suddenly three were laying on the ground. "But I guarantee you won't be getting up again," Shayera finished. Her mace flew, and another fell.
GL knocked the guns from the gang's hands, and took four out
With his ring. Shayera finished up the fight with a blow to the last one's jaw. He lay still.
She turned to him then. "I win again."
"Just by one..." John mumbled.
She grinned ferally, and then took to the air. He followed and they landed on a rooftop above. It was windy that night, and her red hair blew in her face. She flung it back, tucking it behind her ear. Moonlight danced on her face.
Then she spoke.
"So, we done here?"
I stare at her before I have to shake my head to get my thoughts back on what she said.
" Umm yeah I guess, want to head back?" I ask as I watch her.
The moon, a pale blue, shone fully above us; my breath catches each time I look at her, as it accents each part perfectly.
"Yeah," I hear a voice some where in the distance; if ever there were angels surly none could look as beautiful as the one I am seeing. I once again shake my head .'"What I--sorry, Hawk girl , my mind was wandering. ." Yeah right I tell my self, you were ogling one very beautiful hawk in front of you.
"I said I was ready if you were. Really Lantern where *is*
Your mind at tonight?" she laughs as she heads back to the Javelin, which reminds me - I need to get Batman to run a diagnostic on it when we return. It's been acting up a lot here lately.
"I like it here , the sand is so warm...look how the moon
Plays across the water." I could hear the contintful sigh "I asked if you wanted to stay a while longer?" "No," she replies, "Brazil is nice but I want to get back, I have a couple of things I need to take care of." Sure Lantern, she thinks to herself, nothing would have pleased me more, than to walk alone on this beach with you so I can tell you how I feel. "We can wait awhile if you want to..." *please* "No, as I said I need to get back " *WHY!!!?????* Shayera sighs, she could have smacked her self right about then "Something wrong?" "No, let's go the way the Javelin's been acting up I want to get it back and checked out." she sighs and boards the plane taking the controls Lantern takes the seat beside her.
Shayera takes the controls and hits the switch for lift off. The engine makes a weird noise, like a frog being squeezed. Quickly, she shuts it down. "What was that?" asks Lantern. "No idea. I'll have a look," Shayera says and she gets out again. Lifting the "trunk" she takes a peek at the engine. "Weird..." she says as Lantern joins her. "I don't see anything wrong...I wonder if Flash substituted our starter cables for spaghetti..." John rolls his eyes. "Want me to start it up again?" "Yeah," comes the reply as Hawk girl inspects the machinery. He stares at her figure for a second, her concentrated expression and narrowed eyes, her finely-toned arms and quick hands working rapidly on the screws and such of the engine. She doesn't notice, so he is glad she doesn't catch him staring. "Okay," she says, slamming the flap back down. "I don't think it's got anything to do with the engine, but I tightened the controls a little. Maybe that will help." GL nods and enters the ship and a second later the death-of-a-mutated-cow sounds loudly. John needs no further cue and turns it off. "That was worse than before," he mutters. He re-emerges from the ship, almost afraid to see how Shayera will react. He fears her temper like no other. Indeed, she is fuming.
Lantern :
"It's one of the boosters," she says. "Dead."
"Maybe we can get them boosted enough to get us home?" I ask as I watch her fume. Looking closer I chuckle a bit. "What!?" came an irritated reply.
"You got a bit of grease on your cheek" I explain and proceed to wipe it off. My wipes become caresses however and her body close to mine . Is nearly driving me to the edge. I back away Breathing a bit to hard as she looks at me.
" Why did you do that?" "Do what?"
"Wipe off the grease." "Sorry."
"Yeah...sure... No problem," she says giving me a strange look. She had taken of the HawkMask some time ago, and I cannot help but notice how beautiful she is...
I sigh. "So what are our chances of getting out of here?"
"Pretty good actually... One of the booster packs is dead...I can bleed some power off the other and get us home. Give me about 30 minuets to complete the transfer...and pray Flash didn't screw up that one as well." She laughs but deep down I know she is worried. The others were all on another mission and wouldn't be back for days. I had planned on using this time to try and tell her how I feel...hoping I didn't end up eating that mace of hers for breakfast
Shayera :
This work is exhausting. It's already 10:00 Brazil time. I've been working on this stupid hunk of metal for over 45 minutes. Yes, I lied. It will be a while before this thing got off the ground. I switch wires and plugs, yanking out different parts, not even bothering to put some back in. As I work, I try to keep my mind off what I've been thinking of for who knows how long. Geez, I hate myself sometimes. Mind on the mission. Yeah right. Even now I'm wondering where he is. He wondered off, leaving me here with the ship. It's just as well. I work better alone...sometimes. I probably wouldn't do well having him watch me. It'd just get my heart pounding faster and faster. But at the same time... No. I tell myself. Don't go there. But I want to. You're pathetic, Shy. Thank you, Captain Obvious. What were you doing again? Thinking about...shut up. Grrrrrr. I want to smack myself again. Looking at what work I have left, I sigh. I just want to rest my eyes...just for a second. To look at something other than machinery. To feel something other than cold steel. Like his hands. Arrrgh. Shut. Up. I tell myself, as I slip into a dreamy state, and then to sleep. I know I shouldn't. But in sleep, there are dreams. And there is one specific dream I feel like dreaming right now. He'll find you, the other part of me says. I don't care, I retort. Yes you do. Fine. I care about him. Shayera!!!!! Night... And knowing I'll hate myself when I awake, I fall asleep.
Lantern:
I wandered down the coast a ways, looking out over the blue of the ocean, and I sigh. The beach was warm... like her eyes... Stop it! I shout at my self. You know you will never be able to hold her...to love her...to be with her...Why try? I make my way back up the coast and see her laying on the ground.
My heart skips a beat.
"Shy!" I call out, and I see her jump mace in hand looking around. Her eyes fall upon me and she relaxes. "What did you YELL for?" she asks aggravated, I must have interrupted her nap. I look around - she's made progress, I could tell "Bout done, I needed a break," I hear her mumble. She goes back, avoiding eye contact with me. "Anything I can do to help?" "Yeah get me some light..." My ring flashes and illuminates her work area as if it was morning. "Thanks." Half an hour later she asks me to go start the Javelin. I do and sure enough it starts, sounding better than it did the first time. She closes the hatch and climbs aboard taking the controls. It lifts and we are finally heading home...
Lantern
Shayera walks down the aisle, her feathers brushing past my arm. I struggle to control my breathing, while pretending to be busy with the controls.
"Readings are weak...we have to hurry," she says, walking back, taking the other set of controls.
"1 hour," I reply, checking the LCD display.
"Till we crash or till we get there?" she asks wryly.
"Not sure," I say. "Aren't you the pilot?"
She gives me a look. Bad move. I make an attempt to cover it up. It doesn't work. She rolls her eyes and I beat myself mentally. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Suddenly, the ship lurches awkwardly.
"Oh great," I hear her mutter. "Just great."
We wrestle with the controls, and just when it feels like we've mastered them, I feel us start to sink.
This can't be good.
I sit in my seat watching her, as she fights the controls with everything she has. We aren't even half way through the atmosphere when the engine decides it's had all it can take. I hear a low curse come from her as she keeps fighting. "Brace yourself Lantern, nothing I can do...it's gone...' she says matter of factly.
I am wondering how she could be so calm in a situation such as this. I pull my belt as tight as I can as I watch the tree line come closer and closer. "Any way to miss the trees?" I ask hopefully but the look in her eyes told me no. I duck down, wishing she could do the same as the first tree hit. I hear another curse as I hear the sound of metal tearing. Its creaks and groans are painful to my ears, she jerks hard on the controls, as the Javelin suddenly goes sideways. Another tree hits and all control is gone. The only thing I can remember is the sound of something large slamming into the nose and I get ripped from my seat and slung back into the main part of the cabin where the world explodes and then nothing.
My last conscious thought was Shayera.
Lantern
I awake groggily...not really knowing where I am. Then I remember what happened, and my eyes expect to see shards of metal and tree branches. Instead, I feel grass underneath me, and turning over, I see a face blurring my vision.
Am I in heaven? I wonder.
"GL! John, can you hear me?! JOHN!" a woman's voice calls out to me. The angel looks so much like Shayera...then I realize it IS her. My eyes open wider.
"Shy?" I ask wearily.
She breathes a sigh of relief. Her hair in crinkled and in her face. She has a couple cuts on her face and scrapes on her neck. I see a bruise forming on her shoulder.
She's never looked more beautiful to me than this moment.
"What happened?" I manage to ask.
"We crashed," she tells me sardonically. "Can you stand?" She offers me a hand and pulls me up.
"Ugh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning," I say dryly.
"Be careful what you wish for," she says. "It's morning already."
She's right. The sun is rising over the Brazil trees and the sun highlights her face and hair.
"What?" she asks as she catches me staring.
"Nothing...are you okay?"
She pauses before answering.
"I'll live." She shrugs and turns. But then the wind picks up, blowing her hair off her shoulder. I catch sight of a deep cut running from her collarbone to her shoulder.
"Shy, your shoulder!" I cry, grabbing her arm, pulling her to a halt. I reach under the fall of her hair to get a better look. I hear her breath freeze.
Then I realize how close I am to her.
"It's nothing " she replies quickly, easing her arm out of my grasp.
"Shy." I warn, I could see.
"I'm fine we need to concentrate on getting out of here; as for
Right now we are stuck. We have no communication devises at all - everything was completely destroyed in the crash. Also our navigation equipment is gone...so as far as I know, we are out in the middle of a Brazilian rain forest with no supplies." She says matter of factly. None of it sinks in as I watch her... I sigh
"Will you slow down a moment " I finally say "We will be fine we have emergency supplies on board and we have shelter . We can always find food and water. So we aren't to bad off." I explain
"I know ," she says looking around, for the first time I get a
Good look at the crash the Javelin was sitting nose down the pilot section of the plane was all but gone, how she escaped that mangled mess was beyond me.
"Shayera... were you in the pilots seat when it landed?" I ask.
"Yeah ... I escaped through a hole on the other side."
"You sure your all right other than the cut?" I ask my head felt like a weight was attached.
"Stop worrying, I'm fine. Concentrate on getting a makeshift living
Quarters together. I have a feeling we are going to be here a while."
"Sure." I say. That was all I could think of. She nods and turns, tucking strands of hair behind her ear. I love it when she does that. She doesn't know it, but I could trace every move she's ever made. Though if I told her I'd end up with a dent in my skull. Oi, I've listened to Flash too much. She's not really like that...not at heart. She threatens her friends...like Flash...like that, but she wouldn't. Deep down, I know she's caring, and very capable of love.
I just wish I'd get the guts to believe that and act on it. Ironic, I tell myself as I walk through the forest to search for a sturdy tree to form a tent or something. Ironic, how after years in the military, in the MARINE corps, you'd think I'd be able to face anything and everything. But that's the way it is with most guys, isn't it? The boy can never talk to the girl. The girl laughs at him, and then, rather than feel rejected, just is blown away by her smile.
I feel like a ten-year-old every time I'm near her. I hate it. But at the same time I love it.
Argh. Pay attention to what you're doing.
I snap out of my trance and spot a strong tree about 20 yards away. I rush back, stopping once in a while to make my head stop falling off my shoulders.
I get back to what is left of the shuttle and see a small pile of things Shay's salvaged from the wreck. I see a couple blankets, cans of dried food, some large metal plates from the ship's wings, a lighter, a couple torn cushions, and a box of matches.
"I found a good spot," I tell her. "It's safe inside the forest, but not too far from the water or the beach. There are two trees that have intertwined that will provide good shelter."
"Great," she smiles at me. I know it's strained. I know she's worried how long we'll hold out. It doesn't matter. I return her smile, and sit down, my head starting to ache.
"You okay?" she asks, sliding down to land gracefully next to me.
"Yeah..." I start, but I know she doesn't believe me.
Shayera Automatically, I put my hand under his chin to look into his eyes for a concussion. I don't really think of it much. When I do realize what I'm doing, I try to cover it up. "You might have a bit of a concussion," I tell him.
"What do you prescribe, Dr. Hol?" he jokes.
"Rest," I tell him.
"No sedatives," he tells me firmly.
"You sound like me," I laugh.
"And you sound like J'onn, so we're even."
I roll my eyes.
~TAG~
"Well you aren't in such good shape your self hot shot. :" I mutter , she frowns and turns back 'What are you talking about?" " That cut's deep and we have nothing to disinfect it with nor do we have anything to stitch it up .' She sighs and then smiles "Stop worrying about me will you . Your in a lot worse shape than I am." She said as she bends down to gather up our stuff, I start to help but she quickly shoos me away "Go sit down before you fall down " she says pushing me towards a log. 'But you." " Will be fine . So stop or I will add another knot to that head.' I could hear the playful banter behind the words and I smile. So stubborn so lovely . My heart skips a beat each time I see her every time I hear her voice "Lantern you all right?" I hear her voice cut through my thoughts "Hmm yeah why?" " Don't know you had this stupid grin on your face ." I see her wince . But I know if I move she will shoot me down again so I stay put and just watch
Shayera 'I wonder if he could feel the same, and know how much I am concerned about him. Even with him sitting down I miss his gentle touches and his strong confident voice I glance over and see him sitting with this big goofy grin , and briefly hope it's me that he's thinking of. But I know it's not. I'm not that lucky ... I feel my shoulder pull when I lift the piece of metal from the wing I refuse to tell him I twisted it when I crashed . That would be all we need . Him with a concussion and I with a banged up shoulder ... I sigh... and look up a storms approaching typical weather or so I'm told " We need to hurry . I need to get you under some shelter . Storms coming " I explain he looks up and nods gentle
(Sorry for the delay - schoolwork is murder!)
Lantern Within a matter of minutes all the supplies are under the dense forest. She works quickly, despite her injuries. The tall leaves of the trees above us provide some protection, but she flies over some of the steel plates from the ship's wreckage to block out the rain. Our quarters are small, but not cramped.
"Whew," she pants as she kneels underneath the shelter she created. Her hair is dripping, and the way it clings to her face makes me smile. She could never be anything but beautiful. She leans against the tree, breathing hard. Her hand grabs a small blanket, and she dries off her hair and face.
"That was fun," she says sarcastically. "How long you think that storm'll last?"
"Who knows," I reply. "We're in the rainforest, these storms could last hours or seconds."
She cracks her neck and sighs. "Night," she says, pretending to collapse on the ground.
"It's three in the afternoon," I point out, laughing.
"Shut. Up." she teases back, turning so that her hair covers her face, but her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter. "So now what?" she asks, once she quiets.
"We should probably get a fire started once the rain stops...it'll get cooler soon," I say casually.
"Sounds good," she murmurs. I watch her breath as she sleeps, slipping the blanket over her shoulders. "Sweet dreams," I whisper, knowing she can't hear.
Three hours later
Shayera : I roll over and quickly bite my tongue, I hurt in places I didn't know existed I lay there a few moments before I decide to check on John rolling over into a sitting position "John?" "Hey sleep well?" I hear him ask and quickly hid my smile knowing he is all right made all my pain disappear for a minuet "I did thank you" I reply looking over I notice he had a fire going "I'm doing better the pain and dizziness isn't as bad. I went back to the ship after the rain stopped." " You did?" "Yeah found a couple more blankets and some other things we needed " "Really now, I would have gotten them later" " You need your sleep." "Right and you didn't come over here and let me check you out " I blush at how that sounded , and quickly turn my head so that it wasn't noticeable, he sets a while longer and I wonder if he was thinking what I was ... sighing I look back up and see a grin on his face . " Sorry that came out wrong ." " That's all right... I wanted to check your shoulder now that we have shelter and things." he said as he came to sit by me . "I'm fine to tough not to be ."I joke back , he laughs as the tension recedes again . My breath quickens just a bit from him being so near... I wish I could tell him right then and there and let every thing take it's own course . If I did maybe when he. "Lantern?" I ask noticing a fair away look on his face "Hmm oh sorry . My mind was off on it's on adventure.' he said with a wry grin. "Right." I nodded and raise a hand to his head feeling around I find a small goose egg near his left ear just behind it actually ,"Gotta a pretty good lump back there. So don't stress your self to much."
"Yes, Dr. Hol," he says. "Stop that," I tell him. "Or you'll have more than one lump on that head." He pretends to cower in fright. "So...um..." I start. "How do we get the others to know we're here? Our comm. links aren't strong enough to connect planets - we'd need the Watchtower for that." "And the Javelin's kaput," he reminds me. "So what do we do? Wait for them to call us? How incredibly BORING!" I knock my head purposely against a tree trunk. "Ow..." I mumble. "You brought that on yourself, ya know," John laughs. "Something I've been doing a lot lately," I mumble. A confused look crosses his face, but in my stupid fear of rejection I say nothing. Instead I stand, making faces. It didn't really hurt all that much, but it kept me from making noises that would have been equally strange. "Man, I'm starving...ooh, canned tuna. Extra tinny flavor."
Lantern
I laugh, even though the joke was weak. I can tell she didn't feel like being funny right now. I try to engage my comm. link, but all I get is static.
"They aren't
Back yet, and who knows how long until they will return, let alone discover we, as well as the Javelin, are missing."
Shayera: I look at Lantern and raise my arm to swat him gently only to end up wincing .I quickly cover and swat him using my other hand 'Give me time" I tell him slightly irritated. I stand only to go back tot he ground.
Lantern looks over at me. "Shayera is something wrong?"
"No." I tell him flatly. And get to my feet ignoring everything that seems to be hurting right then. Taking out a frying pan that was stashed along with the emergency supplies , I cook us a small
Meal I however touch nothing.
"Aren't you gonna eat?" he asks . I shrug pushing the small amount of food around on my plate.
Come on Shy. You need to eat keep up your strength it' s no telling how long we are going to be here." he encourages in that same sweet. Voice.
I cringe. 'Look I will do what I can to get us both out of this situation... o.k. Stop pushing me." I exploded "You think you can do any better, then by all means . Have at it!"
"Shy. I didn't---"
"Didn't what? Think I can handle this? Think I can rig us up something to call for help? Or what? Spill it Lantern. Something's been on your mind so why not get it out in the open right now!"
I watch as Lantern takes a deep breath
"Fine... you want to know. No I didn't think you couldn't get us out of here - I knew you could. No I don't believe you are incapable of rigging up something to get us home."
He walked closer
"What else get it all out."? I bark harshly. My temples decided to explode right then and I wince. But keep my composure
"What else do you want me to say?"
"What ever has been plaguing you since we left..."
" I really don't."
"Don't what, Lantern? Think I am big enough to handle whatever insults you can through at me. Or big enough to hear like every other man on that station you love Diana?"
"That's not ... she doesn't" he stammers for an explanation. I roll my eyes.
"Look, why don't I save us both an embarrassment, o.k?" My voice is creaking. I'm on the verge of tears. "I didn't think you could ever like me that way...never did. I knew you liked her the way every one else did...she's the immortal super-model. How am I supposed to compete with that? So why not get it out of your system instead of walking around here with those stupid grins on your face each time you think of her..." I am so weak from my rant. "I need some air..." I tell him quietly. "Feel free to finish my plate. When I get back, I will work on getting us Something to call the tower or send a SOS signal or both." I take to the air.
I land someplace down the coast a ways. My arm and head by now is throbbing but compared to my heart it's nothing. I knew it. I just... I knew he couldn't love me...
I sit down looking over the ocean and let the tears fall. Not bothering to hold them back... I here something land behind me and I whirl to see him there. Great.
"What do you want?"
" I think you need to hear what I have to say."
"I don't want to." I say, standing up, moving to walk away. He grabs my arm, and I let out a groan of pain. He forces me to look at him, holding both my arms now.
"Shy, listen to me..." he starts.
That does it. I look away from him, praying that he won't see the tears that are streaming down my face now. I hate it when I cry in front of people like this.
Then, his hand is on my cheek. No, I tell myself. I won't let him look me in the eye. Though shaking, I pull away. "No!" I sob, running down the rocky terrain to the beach. My vision is blurry from my tears...I don't care. He's going to follow me. I don't care.
My chest burning, my lungs aching for air - between running and crying, stumbling and all - I have to stop. I place a hand on a large boulder to steady myself. Shoulders shaking, racking with sobs, I lean against it. I place a hand to my face, as if to stanch the tears. It fails miserably. I weep openly. The knowledge that my feelings aren't reciprocated - I can't handle it!!
I never knew pain could hurt so much...
I raise my face to the sky. At the same time, I hear his footstep on the rocks behind me. I refuse to turn and face him.
We stand there for an eternity. I can feel his eyes boring into me. The wind whips around us, cold and harsh.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He's coming closer.
Step.
Step.
With each of his strides I feel my heart begin to pound. I can't run forever. I have to face this.
Step.
I just...wish it didn't have to happen.
Step.
He's right behind me.
"If you're not going to listen to me talk," I hear his voice say. "Then maybe this will get the message across."
And before I can react, his hands grab my shoulders and jerk me around.
I feel his lips press against mine.
And I'm stunned.
Time stops.
My breathing is hard and labored as a rush of emotions flow through my chest.
I wrap my arms around him holding on. If I am dreaming let me die, for I don't want to wake And face another day hiding what's inside me. Something I never felt with Carter . Or any other I've been with...he brings a sigh to my lips each time I see him, a flutter to my heart each time he speaks, a cold shiver to my spine each time he touches me.
'Do you understand what I have been trying to tell you now?" he asks gently as he dries the tears from my face. I nod, unable to speak.
"Diana may love Batman, and Flash may have a crush on her and you... But I love you. My heat beats faster each time I see you...so many words form in my brain to tell you when I speak to you. But I fail to tell you how radiant , how beautiful your truly are. I thank my God each and every day for bringing me into that team... " He tells me. I am still too stunned. My legs deny me the right to move. He knows, and then lifts me up to carry me back.
"Lantern stop..." I say quietly, finally finding my voice. "I need to sort out my emotions."
"No. For once you will listen. Do you have any idea how many times I wanted to tell you, but haven't in fear that you would just laugh at me and ridicule me?"
" As many times as I thought the same..."
He sets me down and looks at me straight in the eyes.
"Oh God, Shayera... maybe this is just a way of smacking us upside the head and telling us to listen to what our hearts have been telling us."
I laugh. " Possibly."
"I don't want to loose you ... ever" he says and grabs me by my shoulders; bringing me close...I wince as he does so.
"You're hurt, aren't you? All this time you been taking care of me instead of your self."
'It's nothing - just the cut..."
"Somehow I don't believe you," he says picking me up again. I protest , even though my body is telling me to shut up. Sighing I lay my head against his shoulder . My heart settles peacefully and happiness I never thought I could ever know engulfs me.
The world could end at that moment and I would die happy.
He carries me back to the shelter, setting me down gently. His hand moves to the first aid kit we scrounged up from the wreck, but I grab his uniform, dragging him back to my mouth, overwhelmed by a passion I can't control. He surrenders willingly, and I fall out of consciousness - all my energy is focused on him.
After what seems like an eternity, we part, gasping for breath. Our foreheads touching.
"I love you," I hear him murmur in my ear. I grin.
"I know," I reply. He returns my smirk, moving to kiss me again...
"Hawk girl, Green Lantern. This is Superman, do you copy? We cannot place the location of the Javelin, are you all right?"
I frown, dejectedly. Pouting, I activate my comm. link. "Yeah, we're fine."
"You sound out of breath..." he observes.
"We....had a little adventure...." I snatch the words from the air. John struggles not to laugh, so I push him away.
Now he pouts.
"Where are you?" Superman asks.
"Brazilian coast," GL replies. He gives Superman the exact location as I've completely blanked out after all that's happened.
"They'll be here in an hour," John says once he's done.
"Plenty of time..." I whisper, and his lips nourish mine again, and I feel as though I'll never get enough.
