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Chapter Three

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"Mommy, wake up. You said you would fly with me today, remember?"

Shayera opened her eyes and looked into the face of a smiling little girl with reddish brown hair and brown eyes.

"Sarah?" Shayera said slowly. "Are you...are you Sarah?"

"Course I'm Sarah, mommy. Can we fly now?"

"Just a minute, dear," Shayera said as she sat up.

Shayera looked around the room. She was in a large bed with John Stewart asleep next to her. The bedroom was large and spacious but the furnishings and view from the large bedroom bay windows were unfamiliar to her.

The little girl standing next to the bed was dressed in a night gown that revealed a set of wings on the little girl's back. She appeared to be about four or five years old. Her eyes were bright and brown, her hair shoulder length.

Shayera realized that she had moved forward in time again, maybe four or five years. Her last memory was leaving the hospital with little Sarah. Something triggered this time shift but what was it and when would it stop?

"Mommy, can we go now? Please?"

Sarah's words broke her thoughts. Shayera smiled at the little girl. "Sure dear. Give me a minute, okay?"

Shayera got out of bed. John rolled over and continued sleeping.

Looking at Sarah, Shayera said, "Honey, get dressed and I will meet you outside, okay?"

"Okay, mommy." And the little girl ran off with wings flapping behind her.

Shayera went to the closet and chose a pair of blue jeans and a tee-shirt. She slipped on a pair of loafers and walked out of the bedroom. She stopped in the hallway outside the bedroom and marveled at the size of the house.

It was a very large house, brightly lit with natural light coming in from the many large windows high up on the structure. The bedroom was on the second floor along with five or six other rooms. As she started down the steps to the first floor she was greeted by a maid coming up the stairs who smiled at her and said, "Good morning, Mrs. Stewart." Stunned, Shayera returned the greeting and continued down the steps.

She found her way out to the backyard where Sarah was waiting.

"Okay honey. Let mommy see how well you fly."

With that, Sarah leaped into the air and hovered near Shayera and then flew a large circle around her mom.

Shayera, grinning the grin of a proud mother, exclaimed, "That's wonderful, honey."

She was amazed at how well Sarah was able to fly. Sarah's wings were smaller than they would have been if she had been a full-blooded Thanagarian. But Sarah had learned to compensate well and would have probably given any Thanagarian child her age a run for their money.

Shayera leaped in the air and joined Sarah in flight. They slowly rose in the air and flew in a large circle around the house and grounds allowing Shayera an opportunity to survey the entire property. Next to the house was a pool and tennis court surrounded by a well manicured lawn with trees and brushes forming the property boundary. This wasn't a home, it was an estate.

They flew with no particular destination in mind. Just a mother and daughter out for a morning walk or in this case a morning flight. She looked admiringly at the child next to her and thought that Sarah reminded her of herself when she was younger.

Suddenly to their left the Green Lantern appeared. Sarah cried out, "Daddy's here! Daddy's here!"

Shayera looked to her left as the Lantern pulled abreast of her and said, "Morning, John."

"Good Morning, love," came the reply.

Shayera called out to Sarah, "Sarah, honey. Let's head back home now."

"Okay mommy." came the reply and as quick as a little hummingbird, Sarah changed direction and headed back home.

Shayera flew slower, letting Sarah get ahead of her and John slowed down to keep pace with her.

"We have a maid, I see." Shayera said.

"Who? Maria? She's been with us for three years. Is there a problem with her?"

"No problem," She said, "We also seem to have a very nice house. I didn't think the Justice League would pay this well."

"Justice League? We haven't had any dealings with them in two years. Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm okay – just feeling a little lost right now," she said softly.

"Well the house is over there," he said pointing to the left.

"No, that's not what I meant. But that's okay...um... quiz time," Shayera said. "How long have we been married? How old is Sarah? And what do we do for a living? Are we happy? Where do we live? What day of the week is it?"

He grinned back. "Wow. If I get all the answers right, will you do what you did last night again tonight?"

Shayera looked shocked and then broke out laughing, "Just answer the questions, okay."

He laughed with her and said, "Ten years; five years; I am a very, very successful architect and you work in the Thanagarian consulate in Los Angeles; if you do what you did last night again, I for one will be very happy, outside of Los Angeles and Saturday. Did I win?"

They landed near the house and started to walk toward the back entrance. She stopped, gently grabbed his arm and said, "John, sit with me. Please."

She then sat cross-legged on the lawn. John sat down next to her.

"John, I believe you when you say that we have been married ten years but I can only remember three events. I remember a day when we were married for two years, I remember Sarah's birth and I remember waking up this morning. I have no memory of anything else in the last ten years. I don't know what has happened to me."

"Shay, I remember you asking questions when Sarah was born," John said as he reached down and held her hand. "When we got home from the hospital; I asked if you wanted to finish our conversation and you said you didn't know what I was talking about. So I dropped it."

"John, I seem to be drifting through time and I can't control it. I've wonder if I'm dead or asleep and dreaming. If I'm dreaming, I don't want to wake up from this."

"If you're dreaming," John said, "I don't want you to wake up either."

She leaned forward and said, "Kiss me."

John leaned forward and kissed her. The kiss was long and deep and when their lips parted, Shayera made up her mind she wanted to stay in this moment more than anything else.

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The days turned into months which turned into years. It was all a blur, but it was the happy blur of contentment for Shayera. There were no more time shifting episodes for Shayera after this one.

John's business was prospering. Occasionally, he would leave on Green Lantern business but that soon became a rarity. Eventually, he resigned from the Green Lantern Corps altogether.

Shayera retired Hawkgirl and donated her mace and helmet to the historical center at the consulate. She found her work at the consulate satisfying as she was in charge of the protocol section.

Sarah grew up quickly. There were the violin lessons and the little league soccer games. There was the first sleep over and the first boyfriend at age nine and the tryout for the school cheerleading squad and the consoling when she didn't make the team.

There was the experience of learning to drive a car for both Shayera and Sarah. There was the high school senior prom and the high school graduation. There was Sarah's acceptance into law school and finally, there was her moving away. Both John and Shayera cried as they watched Sarah and her girlfriend drive off to the University of Metropolis.

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"Shayera, hurry up. We're going to be late," John called from the bottom of the stairs.

"Just a couple of more minutes," she called back from the bedroom, "Besides, they're not going to start until I get there anyway."

John, dressed in his tuxedo, looked at his watch and muttered under his breath, "After more than thirty-one years of marriage, this woman can fly anywhere she wants in the world and can't be on time for anything."

He called back up the stairs, "Come on now. Sarah and the grandkids are going to be there. We don't want to keep them waiting too long."

Tonight was the night of the gala celebration commemorating thirty years of diplomatic relations between Thanagar and Earth.

Shayera stood at the top of the stairs and called down to John, "So, what do you think?"

She wore a black sleeveless evening gown with sequins running down the right side and a slit in the gown that came up mid-calf on the opposite side. Her hair, curled and pulled along the side of her face, was streaked with gray. She wore white pearl earrings and a black pearl necklace.

John whistled from the foot of the stairs and clapped.

"As always, you look fantastic," he said.

As she started down the steps, Shayera thought she heard someone calling her name. It was the same painful voice she had not heard in years. She tried to ignore it but the voice got louder and louder in her head. She stopped mid-way down the staircase, started swaying back and forth unsteadily, holding on to the banister with both hands.

She called out to John below, "John. John?"

Seeing that she was swaying on the stairs, John ran up the stairs to her side. There was concern in his face.

As he reached her, she looked at John and said softly, "I love you, John Stewart...don't ...don't ever forget that...but...but I think... I have... to leave you now."

She closed her eyes and collapsed on the stairway in his arms.

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"Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl, can you hear me? Wake up. Can you hear me?"

Hawkgirl opened her eyes. Standing over her were the Flash, the Green Lantern and the Manhunter. She was in the medical lab of the Watchtower. She slowly sat up, assisted by the Manhunter.

"What...what happened?" she asked.

"You collapsed as soon as we stepped through the dimensional gateway. It may have been feedback from your damaged mace," said the Manhunter. "You've been unconscious for about twenty-five minutes."

Hawkgirl was silent and then said softly, "Thirty-one years in twenty-five minutes."

"What was that?" said the Flash.

"Nothing!" she snapped. Then turning to the Manhunter she said, "How soon before I can leave here."

"Another half-hour or so, just to make sure you're okay."

Looking at the Manhunter, she asked, "Did you try to mentally contact me while I was unconscious."

"Yes...but only as a last resort. You were not responding to other medical stimuli. But you finally did respond to my calling your name."

"Yes...yes...I did...thank you," she said, "Will all of you leave me alone for a few minutes?" She paused and then added, "Lantern, would you stay? Please?"

The Flash and the Manhunter looked at each other and then left the Lantern and Hawkgirl alone. When she was sure they were alone, she asked,

"Lantern, bear with me as I ask you some questions. Is Diana okay? Does the name Sarah mean anything to you and when was your trial for Aduris 4?"

The Lantern smiled and said, "I not sure I understand your questions, but Diana was okay the other day, I don't think I know anyone named Sarah and that trial was last year."

"Thank you," she said, softly wiping away the tear that ran down from underneath her helmet.

"Are you okay?" the Lantern asked.

"Not really...thanks for staying behind, but would you leave me alone for a few minutes?"

The Lantern nodded and said, "Glad you're back with us," and turned to leave.

Hawkgirl called out, "Wait!"

The Lantern stopped and turned back to face her.

She smiled and said, "Will you teach me to play chess?"

END