YJ2: Misadventures in Time Chapter 3
By Kelly M. Maraglia
Author's Note: Here is the final chapter of this trilogy. I have many ideas of little side stories & origin stories I can write for YJ2, so do not fret. You have not seen the last of them by any stretch of the imagination.
Disclaimer: Young Justice Etc. are not mine. YJ2 characters are the creations of my good friend, Brandon "Coping with Impulse becoming Kid Flash" Johnson & myself. ^_^
Chapter 3: The Future
As the young team of super-heroes fell into another time pocket, they were ecstatic to see a house very similar to Marcus' in front of them and the looming towers of Gotham City close-by.
"I wonder if the folks are home." Marcus said aloud as he took a step toward the house.
"Wait one fraggin' minute! This isn't my house!" Marcus exclaimed.
Upon further inspection, Marcus discovered the house he grew up in to be within walking distance of the house they stood before.
"I thought your house was the only one in the area, Marcus." Haze commented curiously.
"Do you really think my old man could be nice to neighbors?" Marcus remarked in a sarcastic tone.
"Point taken, but where did this house come from then? It was not here before." Kon wondered.
"Not here before in our time anyway," Robin added.
"What do you mean?" Cathie asked.
"Everyone hide!" Danny exclaimed and everyone took his advice without asking why.
No sooner had they reached their hiding places that Flash, followed by Superman, Wonder Woman and a misty form of a woman arrived at the mysterious house and knocked lightly on the door. The door was opened by Lobo and the others sneaked quietly inside. Lobo shut the door behind them.
"What the hell" Kon shouted.
"What the frag" Marcus yelled simultaneously.
"You two should quiet down else they might hear us." Robin said calmly.
"Is anyone else creeped out?" Cathie asked eyes wide with shock.
"Okay, Flash, Superman and Lobo I get, but Wonder Woman had black hair and that misty woman was dressed like the Ray." Danny tried to assess.
"Good power of observation, Danny. This actually explains everything." Robin said wisely.
"It does, how?" Danny asked the confused question his teammates were also wondering about.
"We are no longer in the past, but we are not in our time either. We are in the future." Robin explained.
The members of YJ2 stood in a state of shock for a few moments.
"It makes perfect sense. Listen, the misty woman was dressed similar to the Ray, so it stands to reason that it could be Haze as an adult. You must have mastered your mist powers. In addition, it would explain why Wonder Woman has black hair and why there is an additional house in this area." Robin relayed.
"So that was me as an adult and Cathie has black hair so that was her? Plus, this must be Marcus' house." Haze said following Robin's logic.
"Exactly," Robin replied.
"Well, why don't we peek inside and see what we're up to in the future?" Kon suggested.
"Do you really think we should? Do you want to know your future?" Robin challenged.
"Why not, we can change it if we don't like it right?" Kon shrugged.
"Afraid of what you might see Robin?" Haze countered.
"I do not fear my future. I am probably dead by this point anyhow." Robin glared at Haze.
"You are so morbid." Cathie commented warily.
"Over my dead body, Robin, and as you saw, I am alive." Marcus swore.
"Never say that phrase again, Marcus. People who say that usually end up dying." Robin spoke seriously.
"You watch too many movies, Robin." Kon waved away her argument.
Despite her anger at their blasé attitude, Robin realized she had lost the argument, so the six teens peeked into what they discovered as the kitchen window and what they saw shocked them all.
The adult Marcus was wearing a red and green frilly apron and cooking at the stove.
"Dude, you're domesticated!" Kon exclaimed, trying his hardest not to laugh and failing miserably.
"Shut the frag up!" Marcus yelled with tints of pink on his pale face.
He could not stop his teammates from their fits of laughter, however. Danny laughed so hard, he collapsed to the ground.
"Aw frag, Imp, it's not that big of a deal!" Marcus bellowed at Impulse, whose eyes were dazed.
"He's just tired, Marcus. Back to the situation at hand, apparently someone is pregnant." Robin commented.
"What!" The members of YJ2 all exclaimed.
"Look at the banners," Robin said calmly.
All the banners around the kitchen stated phrases such as congratulations, new baby, or will it be a boy or girl?
"Well, we don't look pregnant Cathie, besides; we don't look very surprised either, so I don't think this party is for either of us." Haze observed.
"I wonder who it is for then." Cathie replied.
"Whoever it is, Marcus must really like them." Kon insinuated and glanced at Robin.
"Just what are you implying?" Robin asked, narrowing her eyes at Kon.
"Yeah, what are you getting at, SBJ?" Marcus asked, glaring.
"Don't call me SBJ!" Kon said angrily and rose to attack Marcus.
"If you would just calm down, SBJ, we could hear what they are saying in there." Robin said in a cold voice that held a hint of humor.
The Kid quieted and sent a glare Robin's way. Marcus smirked proudly.
"Haze, turn into your mist form and open the window for us a bit." Robin ordered.
"Who died and made you leader?" Haze rebuffed.
"Yeah" Cathie yelled indignantly, considering she was the leader of YJ2.
"I'm not claiming leadership. Listen, you're the ones who want to know your futures so badly, not me!" Robin yelled, letting her anger get the best of her.
The others were taken aback by this outburst. Haze, reluctantly, became a misty substance and seeped through the cracks on the windowpane. She undid the locks, slowly lifted the window open and returned to her solid form outside.
"That's so difficult." Haze said, seemingly exhausted by her transformation.
"With more training, you should master it." Robin reassured her.
"Shhh, let's listen." Cathie suggested and the six teens peered into the kitchen window, silently watching their future play out.
(From this point, I will refer to the younger generation by their code names. Lobo II for Marcus)
"I don't understand why we have to be so quiet. Knowing her, she already knows about the party." Kon said in a bored tone of voice. Marcus glared at him.
"Shhh, Kon, Marcus worked really hard on this surprise." Haze chided.
"That breakfast smells good, Marcus." Cathie commented, taking in the sweet aroma.
"Broccoli and cheese omelet is her favorite. You know how much of veggie addict she is." Marcus replied.
Robin stopped breathing for a moment.
'Impossible, could Kid's insinuations be true?' She thought to herself frantically.
"I wanted to do something special for her so I asked Mom to teach me to cook." Marcus continued.
"Bet your Dad loved that" Danny mocked.
"Fraggin' bastich laughed his ass off" Marcus growled.
"I am, too, Bud. I mean, dude, you're domesticated!" Kon laughed.
"Looks like your vocabulary has not changed as an adult" Robin said, sharing a smirk with Lobo II.
"Shut up." Kid said, pouting.
"I made extra for you all, but let her eat first, okay?" Marcus requested.
"Of course, this is her day!" Cathie exclaimed happily.
"Exactly" Haze agreed, blocking Kon and Danny from the pastries on the counter.
"Hey Marcus, does your woman have a name?" Kid asked, half-sarcastic, half-serious.
"Well, wife would be a more appropriate term to use, but I did notice they only refer to her as 'her.'" Sensational Girl added.
"They may not be married." Kid retorted.
"Maybe they don't know her real name." Ray Girl suggested.
Robin narrowed her eyes at Ray Girl.
"If you're following Kon's flawed logic, Marcus would refer to me as Robin. In addition, you and Cathie would not be so happy for me." Robin said, the deadly tone in her voice sending shudders down Ray Girl's spine.
The six teenage heroes stopped their bickering when the heard the creaking of stairs. Inside the house, their adult selves scrambled to hide as they held their breath in suspense. The kitchen door opened.
"What, I can't believe it!" All the teens screamed. Luckily for them, the shouts of 'congratulations' and 'surprise' from adults drowned out their shocked outburst.
"K-K-Keelia" Kid choked out. His traveling companions shared his mindset as they recognized an older, pregnant Keelia R. Drake. Ray Girl was the first to recover.
"I thought she wasn't your type Marcus." She said, sarcasm helping to finish off her recovery.
Lobo II was well aware that Keelia was Robin, and seeing Keelia pregnant with his child made him elated on the inside, but he could not show his teammates, because he had to protect Robin's secret.
"She's not! What the frag is this? I wanted it to be Robin!" Lobo II growled in fake anger.
Robin stared in shock at her older self, pregnant by Marcus. This was not what had shocked her into silence, however. Her elder self was smiling a genuine, contented smile.
"Marcus, this was your idea, wasn't it? Thank you Sweetheart." Keelia said her smile widening.
"I just wanted to do somethin' special for ya. It's not a fraggin' big deal! You probably already knew." Marcus replied, trying to hide his blush and sentimentality from his teammates.
"I did not know, my darling husband." Keelia responded and gave Marcus a hug. Behind his back, she smirked and winked at the others, who grinned.
"Ha, Keelia's too smart for you!" Kid mocked.
"Shut the frag up!" Lobo II growled, embarrassed for his future self.
"At least we know you're married now." Sensational Girl added.
"She looks so happy." Robin commented offhand, causing the other teenagers to look at her funny.
Keelia looked up from her hug with Marcus to see six pairs of eyes peering in the window.
Robin caught the look and warned her teammates to hide as she swung up in a tree.
"Are they coming to the party too?" Keelia asked in an innocent tone, pointing to the window.
"Eep" YJ2 replied and scrambled to get away from the window.
Danny raced outside followed by Kon, Cathie and Marcus. Haze peeked out the door as well. The elder versions stood staring at their teenage selves in shock.
"Why are you all just standing there? Come on inside before breakfast gets cold!" Keelia's voice drifted from inside the house.
As his teammates followed their older selves into the house, Lobo II glanced around for Robin. He found her in the tree, but she put a finger to her lips, signaling him to be quiet as to her location. Lobo II shrugged and entered the house as well.
"Marcus Dear, I'm going to eat my breakfast under my favorite tree." Keelia announced.
Marcus looked like he wanted to protest, but Keelia reassured him that she would be fine and exited the house. No one seemed to notice that she carried two cups of coffee and extra amounts of omelet with her.
"Oh now I remember this. We came to the future when we were lost in time for a bit." Kon commented as all the superheroes sat and enjoyed the breakfast.
"That's because Danny kept screwing up." Marcus remarked.
"Hey, leave me alone! I wasn't used to time travel, geez!" Danny protested.
"Ignore him Danny; he's just pissy because Keelia went to sit outside." Haze said sending a glare toward Marcus.
"I don't really blame her though. It would be awkward, considering her past self isn't here." Cathie added, hiding her expression in her coffee cup.
"It's her day though!" Marcus growled angrily.
"So sorry to bother you" Ray Girl replied coldly.
"What's wrong with just wanting everything to be good for her today? Don't be a bitch, Haze." Lobo II came to his future self's defense.
"Hey, take that back, Marcus!" Kid ordered angrily.
"Make me SBJ" Impulse said in a monotone.
"Don't call me SBJ" Sensational Girl said in an equal monotone.
"What?" Lobo II and Kid yelled simultaneously.
"You two are as regular as clockwork." The leader of YJ2 said in a bored manner.
Suddenly, the future selves of YJ2 started laughing uncontrollably.
"Were we really that bad Marcus?" Kon asked.
"Nah, not that bad" Marcus replied.
"What do you mean by 'were'?" Cathie asked sarcastically.
"You two still act that way." Danny added.
"Yes you do." Haze agreed.
"Well, you're still a bitch, Haze." Marcus began and then the circle of dialogue began again, only this time the teens got the chance to laugh at their elder selves.
Keelia R. Drake Lobo sat outside in one of two comfortable chairs under a large oak tree. The laughter from inside the house made her smile.
"I put extra on my plate if you're hungry. Unfortunately, I have to drink decaf while pregnant, but I made you a regular coffee. You had better drink it so I'm not tempted to." Keelia spoke aloud to seemingly no one.
"Must resist smell of coffee and broccoli and cheese omelet," Robin said jokingly, before giving up and jumping down from her hiding place. She sat in the seat next to her future self and took the proffered omelet and coffee.
"The weaknesses of the Mighty Girl Wonder, omelet and coffee," Keelia said laughing.
"This is excellent. I never would have suspected Marcus would be a good cook and of course, the coffee is perfect." Robin commented.
"I know exactly how I like my coffee so of course it is perfect and as for Marcus, you'll experience many surprises in your life." Keelia said wisely.
"Hn, no one would know better than you." Robin remarked.
"Damn straight" Keelia smirked.
"I'm not used to seeing a smirk on Keelia's face." Robin said honestly.
"Ha, that's right! I'm still the sweet, innocent Keelia at your point, aren't I?" Keelia responded with humor.
"Aren't I still?" Robin asked curiously.
"No fraggin' way in hell!" Keelia exclaimed.
"Is my vocabulary doomed to frag because of carrying Marcus' child?" Robin asked in mock horror.
Keelia laughed heartily and shook her head.
"I forgot how sarcastic I was back then. They all know the secret now." Keelia revealed.
"Was it wise to tell them?" Robin asked.
Keelia scoffed.
"Who said I told them?"
"Don't tell me they actually figured it out." Robin said aghast at the prospect.
"Marcus did, but the others were told and do not ask by whom because I will not tell anymore. You're the detective." Keelia said in mock firmness.
"Oh well, I'll deal with it when that comes. By the way, are you serious at all? It seems as if everything is a joke." Robin shrugged and spoke with deadly seriousness in her voice.
"What do you mean?" Keelia said, tilting her and taking a perplexed look on her face.
"You're smiling, laughing and making jokes. You have friends who care about you and a husband who was willing to learn to cook for you. You are so happy that you willingly drink decaf coffee! All this and you wonder why I ask?" Robin ranted.
"Is it a crime to be happy?" Keelia asked, her features shifting into the serious stone mask she once wore as Robin.
"At least for me, you should know why." Robin said, her voice shaking in repressed anger.
Keelia's eyes reflected a light of recognition and she smiled gently at her younger self.
"I look at you and remember the pain and the nightmares. I never forgot those Robin and I never would. Neither will you forget seeing your parents slaughtered instead of you repeatedly. Know this, Joker pulled the trigger, both times I might add. It was not your fault!" Keelia raised her voice a bit, which unknowingly earned the attention from those in the house.
"How can you be so accepting of this when you didn't save them? I didn't save them." Robin yelled, her ice mask slipping away.
"Who are they talking about?" Kid asked. His future self shrugged, but gave a knowing look to his teammates.
"I've already dealt with my painful past. Now I have an enjoyable present and look forward to a prosperous future." Keelia replied with sincerity and compassion in her eyes.
"Is this happy future even a possibility for me?" Robin asked timidly.
"Anything is possible because no matter what, we count on the sun to rise the next morning. Even if it rains, it can cleanse our spirits of pain." Keelia said wisely, looking at a pair of robins fly through the sky.
"Since when are you philosophical?" Robin asked.
Keelia laughed lightly in response.
"There's Robin." Danny said as the two versions of YJ2 emerged from the house.
"You were starting to worry me." Lobo II commented, kneeling beside Robin and putting his arm around.
"I can take care of myself, Marcus. You know that." Robin said haughtily, removed his arm, and took a sip of her coffee.
"No one would fraggin' accuse you of anything less." The adult Marcus piped in.
"Yeah, cause you'd probably kick their ass." Kon added.
Robin smirked arrogantly. Keelia hid her smirk in her coffee cup.
"You mean she's still bitchy in the future?" Ray Girl asked exasperated.
Keelia looked from her coffee cup and gave her friends an evil smile.
Unfortunately, for Marcus, he missed it.
"She hasn't changed one fraggin' bit!" He admitted.
Robin almost choked on her coffee.
"Now Marcus, that was not a very nice thing to say, now was it?" Keelia said in a slow, slightly menacing tone.
Marcus immediately tensed up.
"But uh, Robin can be like that because she's Robin." He said nervously.
"Wow, dude, you're not only domesticated, you're whipped!" Kid mocked.
The others laughed aloud.
"Shut the frag up or I'll rip you a new fraggin' hole!" Marcus said angrily and chased after the Kid.
After watching them play fight for a few minutes, Robin noticed a car driving toward them.
"I think it's time we were off." She announced.
"Take care and Robin, don't forget it's never a sin to be happy. Never!" Keelia called out as the young versions of YJ2 formed their link.
Robin looked back at her possible future and for the first time in a long time, she smiled a true, happy smile.
Seconds after the teenage heroes disappeared into the stream of time, Timothy Drake and his wife, Stephanie pulled up in their car.
The End of YJ2:MIT