Disclaimer: I don't own Justice League; all I own are a few comics, a tape of secret origins and a few attempts at drawing J'onn.

Authors note: Well...I said this would be the last chapter, but I decided to make the next one the last chapter, it'll also be a special one for all those who reviewed and supported it, I'm so amazed how popular this got, and am defiantly considering more fics, and maybe a sequel if I can think of a good idea.

Thanks to all those who've reviewed so far, and to Matt Morwell, who looked over this chapter for me, and is such a good friend *grins* go read the first chapter of our co-fic [The future's past], a Sonic/Star Trek crossover, and his fics too! Very very good *nods sagely*

I'm also going to attempt some pictures someday of this...but be warned...I'm not too good at non-furry fanart...

Anyway, on with the fic, and remember, I'm doing an authors note after the last chapter, so give me some questions:-D


Recovery
Chapter nine - Reconciliation





Clark Kent walked down the street, it was one of the few days when he had nothing in either of his identities to bother him, and the bright sunshine made it hard for him not to be cheerful. No natural disasters or criminals seemed to be around, just normal people enjoying the summer weather. Kids eating ice creams and parents smiling as a glob of it fell on a nose, or a butterfly entranced their vision.

Still, though there was a smile on his lips, there was deep sadness behind his eyes.

Ducking around a corner into an alleyway, looking around to make sure that nobody was watching, he removed his suit with enhanced speed to reveal a costume of deep rose red, and ocean blue, a long cape trailing behind almost to the ground, and hovered above the ground. As he went upwards, he hoped that his vision would not glance a thief or something else.

And he hoped it would be today.

Making it to the watchtower with the aid of Green Lantern, who had been on duty last on the floating satellite. They parted as the former marine left to take care of something on the planet below.

Clark...or rather, Superman now, as he was in his costume instead of the 'real' identity, stepped away and into the corridor. Flash was relieving him from duty soon, his shift beginning after Green Lanterns, so before that, Superman headed towards the medical bay.

It had only been a few days since they had entered J'onn's mind, and managed to convince him or his worth to the team, but it seemed like much longer. Batman had warned them that his condition was still in danger, the strain to his body being great, but with each hour, the monitor measuring his condition had crept steadily upwards, until it had stabilized at ninety percent.

It had stayed there for the last twenty four hours, and with that increase in his brain function, there was also no need anymore for the oxygen mask, or any of the other machines which had been keeping his body alive. And he now seemed to be in a deep sleep. But the fact that nothing had changed in the past day was still worrying.

He entered, looked to the bed, and saw J'onn still lying as still as the last time, chest rising and falling slowly.

Superman sighed deeply.

"You seem to sigh awfully loud"

Turning quickly, afraid, and wondering at the same time that he had heard wrong, his open mouth turned into a broad smile.

There, sitting halfway up in the bed, a bewildered smile crossing his features, was J'onn.

Alive.

Awake

"Amazing..." Superman breathed, crossing the last few steps quickly "I don't believe it...we..."

"Thought I would not survive?" J'onn queried, red eyes flashing in amusement, then pushed the rest of the covers off the bed, and stood. Superman was afraid he would still be weak, but the Martian stood strong and tall, and in a shift, his features merged and shifted as he changed into the form he had adopted on Earth. Then reached out with his hand, and let it lie on the shoulder of the man of steel.

"I am real" he chuckled, as his friends eyes were still wide, and this seemed to shake him from his reverie.

"How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours" J'onn answered "Batman has filled me in on what happened while I was..." at this, his voice quieted, and his expression became one of guilt "...I am sorry to have worried you all so..."

"Don't be" Superman admonished "It wasn't your fault, you just let yourself get caught up in blame...blame that wasn't even yours"

J'onn nodded "It would not do for me to allow myself to fall into it now...I do not believe the fault was mine, just that I should not have allowed it to get that far...without friends" he paused "If I may call you that"

Superman caught the tentatively phrased question, and gave him a glance that was assuring. "Of course!". He frowned "I wonder why Batman didn't tell us sooner"

"Perhaps he has a sense of humour" J'onn suggested, Superman chuckled "Yeah..." he motioned to the doorway "Want to let them know...Flash is around, but the others are all down on Earth at the moment..."

"I shall inform them as soon as we have let Flash know" the Martian nodded with a slight chuckle

"Don't tell me you're getting a sense of humour too" Superman said as they left the medical bay, and the nightmares of the last few weeks behind.

- - - - -

Watchtower duty.

Very, very boring, especially for the fastest man alive, forced to sit for hours on end. Occasionally his thoughts would wander, but Flash did try not to let himself get too far away from his duties, he might have a reputation for not being the most serious person in the world, but he did know what was important.

That, or he was just scared stiff of Batman.

Right now, he was so bored, that he didn't bother turning around when he heard the slight hissing as the door eased open, and footsteps came into the room. He surmised that it was the end of his shift, when he did turn to see Superman looking at him with a slight bewildered smile on his face.

"Hey supes" Flash yawned "Is it over already"

Superman nodded, but said nothing, just walking further into the room, stopping, then looking at a place just behind Flash.

"Uh...you okay supes?" Flash asked, extremely confused about the manner in which his friend was behaving.

Superman just continued to look, and, intrigued, Flash turned to see what on earth was so fascinating.

He didn't expect to see Superman standing behind him.

His eyes whipped back to where the man of steel had been before, and was still there.

His eyes then flew back to the second.

Then he looked back to the first.

This continued for a few more seconds, each time the face of the fastest man alive kept whizzing back and forth until his features seemed to blend together.

Then the mind of the fastest man alive caught up with his body, and a lightbulb seemed to go on inside him.

"No way..." he grinned, and looked at both "Ok...which one is it?"

Both of them looked at each other and smiled.

"Shall we torture him more?" the first asked

"Perhaps...but I feel it would be kinder to let him know"

"Geeze, this is too easy, it's the second one!" Flash grinned triumphantly, and the second Superman's features seemed to melt together, and soon J'onn J'onzz, back in his form adopted on Earth, was standing next to the real Superman.

"Man, this is so COOL!" He shouted, running to envelope the Martian in a bear hug, which seemed both in and out of character for him, but in the circumstances, was not unwelcome "It's been so uncool without you around J'onn, even Bats seemed more moody than usual...and that's not a good thing" he nodded mutely, a serious expression on his face that made Superman chuckle, and J'onn smile.

So not like their friend that it was humorous.

"I am glad to be back" J'onn nodded "And I assure you I shall not allow this to happen again"

"Damn straight" Flash shot in "We're a team, and a family too, right big guy?"

Superman nodded "That would make you the annoying little brother then I take it"

"Hey!" Flash yelped, and then grinned himself "Yeah...I guess so"

"What would you have the others become in this version of a family?" J'onn interjected, amused by this conversation, and feeling incredibly glad to be back.

"Well...bats is the dad I guess...stern and strict and stuff..." Flash mused "GL...the older brother...y'know, who always thinks he's right..."

J'onn continued to listen, feeling incredibly glad he had not allowed himself to fall too far, and that his friends had cared enough to try and help him, even at a risk to their own lives.

After they had been forced to leave, J'onn had gone through a small period of intense pain, as the effort it had taken to keep them inside his mind took its toll. On the outside, the signals had fluctuated rapidly, but had not stayed that way for long. Then it had been a case of allowing his body to repair itself. His mind, though weak, was not too damaged. With a telepath, it would be the most strengthened part of their body, and would take an extreme amount of harm to cause it to cease functioning.

And he had almost allowed it to do that.

While his body had been recovering its energy, the dreams had continued, but while before, they had been of real events where he had succeeded in real life, but going in a different direction in the illusion, now, he made sure that they went the correct way, and succeeding where he had done so in reality.

Then he had felt the tug on reality, and allowed it to take him...

- - - - -

When his eyes opened, the picture before them was blurred, a mix of black and silver and other colours, but as he kept blinking, it came more into focus. The silver became the machines and monitors of the medical bay, and the black, the costume of Batman, who was watching him.

"Good to see you're awake" he nodded.

"Yes" J'onn answered, he still felt tired, and his body seemed to be extremely heavy, sinking into the not so comfortable bed, his eyes already drooping closed again, no matter how hard he tried to keep them awake.

Batman noticed this, and checked the monitors, "Don't worry, you'll need to rest a while before you're back to full strength"

J'onn nodded again, breathing in; he became aware of just how dry his mouth was. Before he could say anything, a glass was lifted to his mouth, and tipped slightly. Cool, clear water entered, and it soothed his throat and quenched his thirst. After he had drunk, the glass was taken away.

"Thank you" he said to Batman, feeling drowsier than before.

"Just rest" Batman nodded

J'onn did not even have the energy to agree or even nod his head anymore, and even the uncomfortable bed did not stop him from falling into a peace free slumber for the next few hours.

- - - - -

...J'onn?"

"Hmm?" J'onn murmured, coming back with a start, he had drifted off into his own thoughts, and saw they were now walking in the corridors near their own personal quarters, and he realized he was feeling tired again.

"Are you okay?" Superman asked, with undisguised concern.

"Yes" J'onn was quick to assure him "I am fine...just slightly fatigued...Batman did say it would take time before I am fully recovered, and the sleeping facilities of the medical bay do not seem to encourage rest"

Superman chuckled "Yes...I seem to recall that as well" he nodded, referring to that virus the renegade Amazon Aresia had released on the world, infecting all men, and even those not of earth origin, with J'onn and Superman. It had been slightly more difficult to revive them, because of their differences in anatomy, but it had been successful.

J'onn chuckled "Yes, indeed"

They paused, now just outside the door for J'onn's own personal quarters "I shall hope that my bed here is more comfortable"

Superman nodded "Shall I let the others know?"

J'onn nodded again "Yes...I do not believe they would appreciate being told in the same way as Flash"

"I think you seemed to have acquired a sense of humour with that"

"Perhaps" J'onn said, pressing the button and letting the door slide open before he entered. It slid shut behind him, and he allowed his shoulders to relax and his posture droop. He was more tired than he wanted to admit, and the thought of a comfortable bed and sleep for many hours was too alluring to resist.

Seconds later, the slumbering form of a Martian, laid flat out on a large bed, could be seen, breathing gently and a slight smile upon his face.

- - - - -

"This is wonderful news" Diana smiled, with a glance at the others in the Javelin before turning her attention back to the screen where Superman, still on watchtower duty, was telling them about J'onn. Flash could be seen standing behind the man of steel, and would interject with comments every few seconds.

"I know, he feels bad for what happened, but I think he realizes we don't blame him...anyone would consider a chance to gain something they lost that they cared for deeply" Superman said, and Diana nodded.

There could not be a person upon the earth that did not have something they had lost which they would give almost anything to get back. For her, it was the thought of never seeing her mother Hypolitia after her banishment from Themyscera, and she felt the pain from that deeply.

When the league was in its first few weeks after its formation, she would often find J'onn standing on the observation deck, looking out at a distant planet of a deep rich red colour.

Mars.

She could feel his pain, and in those times, she had realized he felt as lonely in this world as she did, and it made some sort of bond between them. She was the only one to see him crying one late night, and was the one to try and comfort him.

Then, when she had been banished, he had been the one to offer support and comfort then.

Both were alienated from their homes, cut off from the ones that they loved. And even though Diana's mother and sisters still existed in life, J'onn did not hold that against her. The pain they felt was the same, and in that, they formed a tight friendship.

...Diana?"

"Oh, sorry" she blushed "I was just thinking"

Superman chuckled, as did Hawkgirl and Green Lantern, "Apparently, so was Flash"

"Hey!" Flash shouted in the background "I resent that remark!"

"Can't deny the truth kid" GL chuckled as well, keeping a tight rein on the controls.

"Flash had an idea?" Diana mused "Well, that is interesting..."

"It's a good idea too, actually" Superman nodded, then stepped back from the screen and let Flash into the picture. He wore an expression of amusement and deep thought, which was enough to make everyone else grin madly again before he could begin to speak.

"Well guys, y'know it's been all weird for the last few weeks, and J'onn was all depressed...and I was thinking when he was all ill and stuff that when he got better we should do something for him..."

"That does sound like a good idea" Hawkgirl nodded "But what do you have in mind?"

Flash spoke again.

Hawkgirl and Diana exchanged a look, Green Lantern chuckled whilst shaking his head from side to side lightly, Superman, standing behind Flash watched as Hawkgirl and Diana both grinned, the former having a more, malicious expression, whilst the latter was more of confusion.

Flash just had a big grin plastered across his face.

Finally, Diana spoke up.

"I believe by your expressions this is a good idea, but I think I need explaining what on earth this is"

"Oh it's good alright babe" Flash assured her "And he'll love it!"

"We'll have to make sure he doesn't realise what's going on" Green Lantern chuckled "But I like the idea, for once the kid came up with something good"

As the Javelin flew further out into space towards the Watchtower, a sharp "hey!" in an indignant tone could be heard.