Author's Note:

The following story is based on the DC Comics Elseworlds series of the same name by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. It is not a direct adaptation, but rather an inspired tale that also satisfies the circumstances of the animated universe. Additionally, the story takes place following the episode "Starcrossed" and must, unfortunately, ignore all episodes that follow. Though don't be surprised if references are made. As usual, the characters and stories are the sole property of DC Comics and AOL Time Warner. They are not in any way used for profit, but rather for the sake of fun and personal pleasure. So please don't sue.

Enjoy.

Fifteen days after the return of Superman...

Time shifted. Armies were built. Eighteen years ago, the Japanese government was the first to take control of the Watchtower upon the discovery of the Justice League's disband. They had since dismantled it, using the technology stored inside to further advance their place as the world's greatest nation. But never mind the Watchtower, Green Lantern had constructed something better.

Within the confines of Emerald City, Superman's troops soon wielded power enough to shake the earth. Would they have enough power to save it? And if so... from what? America healed, but America was not the world. Stronger in number, the League began to confront anarchy on a global scale. As on their home territory, Superman's army began to meet with success more infrequently. Most metahumans fell into line at the mere sight of the man from Krypton. Many did not. Clearly, each rebellion further frustrated him.

Social government was never Superman's arena. Was it possible that the constant pressures thrust upon him as an emerging world leader could bend even a man of steel to the breaking point? Meanwhile, those closest to Superman began to whisper another question. In all these missions, they ask... how was it they had yet to unearth Magog? With his super-senses, Superman should have been able to find anyone... if he was looking.

"It's not supposed to be this way," he sighed, standing over the now unconscious body of Von Bach, a would-be dictator from Yugoslavia. He stood straight up to catch his breath.

"What?" Diana asked in curiosity.

"We shouldn't have to fight this hard," Superman replied as the two began to survey the fallen bodies of their enemies around them. Much of their concentration set upon Von Bach, the most relenting of the bunch.

"You said it yourself, Kal," Diana responded, taking a deep breath herself and wiping the sweat from her forehead. "We do what he have to do."

"And yet, we're ending up with more captives than converts," he reasoned. He watched as Red Robin and some of the other new Leaguers had arrived to remove the fallen enemies. "What do we do with those who refuse to see the light?"

Diana thought for a moment. "I have a suggestion," she finally said. She pushed off and began to fly upward in the air. "Follow me..." Superman took a quick second to wonder what she had in mind before pushing off to follow.

Justice League

Kingdom Come

By Lord Akiyama

Based upon the story by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Chapter Four: Revelations

"Quite the kingdom, Arthur..." Diana commented, looking about her surroundings. "An architecture worthy of Paradise Island. Every bit as beautiful as any place above the sea." She was the only being in the room that required breathing equipment. The entire kingdom of Atlantis was now flooded with water, further isolating itself from the upper world. Superman tried not to make it known that he felt uncomfortable not knowing why Diana brought him here before the king formally known as Aquaman.

"More," Arthur said in response to Diana's comments. Superman often wondered if this man was ever happy around strangers. "The tides of time have been kind to you, Princess. You have not aged a day since last we met."

"Would that the outside world had fared so well, Arthur," Diana said, giving a nod of recognition to Arthur's wife Mera. "But times above have grown hard and harsh. The seas provide the perfect buffer between your world and ours. Bearing that in mind, we have come to ask permission to create here an underwater penal colony... for rebellious metahumans." She tried to ignore the look of disbelief and shock Superman gave her.

"What?" he asked, almost in a demanding tone.

"Don't insult me by acting disingenuous, Superman," Arthur glared. "Its not as if we're unused to being burdened with the surface world's refuse. Permission denied."

"Arthur, if you could only see the trouble we're in up there..." Diana started pleading. "Join us. Stand at our side."

"A faint invitation," Arthur responded, standing to his feet to show his expression of displeasure more clearly. "You know I was never comfortable being considered your 'Aquaman' when I was never part of your crew to begin with. I have long since ceded my name and role to my protégé. I understand many of your old friends have followed suit."

He was about to continue when he felt that touch of his wife upon his hand. He slowly looked down to see her face, telling him to calm his temper. He took a deep breath before turning back to the visitors. "My subjects need me, Princess," he continued. "You have hundreds of champions to defend a few land masses. I protect the other seventy percent of the world... and there is only one me. I have responsibilities you cannot even dream of."

Diana was about to say something, but thought better of it. There clearly was no way into talking him to change his mind. He sighed and turned his head. "Then resume your solitude, Arthur," she said as she began to walk away, a confused Superman watching. "Relish your world... for so long as it lasts."

"So... you go by the name of Red Robin..." Cir-El said rather sheepishly. With her hands behind her back, she had to look away a bit in an attempt to hide the blush upon her cheeks and the shy smile upon her face.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, grinning as he caught sight of the blush on her cheeks. One of the newest members of the League accompanied the daughter of Superman as they made their way through the corridors of Emerald City. "Am I correct in understanding that you are Supergirl?"

"Yes..." she giggled. Her eyes began to divert from looking at the masked warrior to seeing their destination ahead. She took a deep breath. "Um... Have you... hee hee... um... worked for Batman...?"

"I've met the man," Red Robin replied. "Most of my association is with Tim Drake, who has since retired his mantle and passed it down to me."

"I see..." she said. She gently bit her lower lip, trying to keep from giggling some more. "So... if you're not Mr. Drake... then... what's you're real name...?"

He gently chuckled. "Can you keep a secret?" he asked. This got her to giggle almost controllably as she brought her hands forward, grabbing the end of her cape to cover her face below the eyes. She was about to speak when Robin came to a stop and stretched his arms out to stop her from walking as well.

Supergirl went from being shy to being concerned very quickly. "What is it?" she asked quietly.

"Voices in this room," he replied, pointing at the slightly opened door on her side. The two looked at one another before slowly creeping toward the door. Quietly, they peeked in to see the bodies to which the voices belonged to. There they saw Superman and Wonder Woman with a near perfect view of the earth below them.

"How long were you planning on keeping that from me?" Superman said in a near demanding tone, walking toward the stationed Wonder Woman looking out through the glass window.

"The prison?" she replied, almost trying to sound oblivious to what he was getting at.

"Of course the prison," he replied, slowly calming his temper as he stood inches from her. "Diana, you have changed... and I don't like what you're asking me to do. I'm not used to forcing others to follow my lead. Now I'm supposed to jail those who won't? To act as judge and jury against our own kind? That's a fascistic line, Diana."

"Then get ready to cross it," she responded, turning to face him. "We are at war, Kal... and we will take prisoners. We have to." She dropped her head as she calmed the tone of her voice. "They're not our kind. We're protectors of humanity. They are barely human." A moment of silence passed before Superman gently lifted her chin.

"Is this you talking, Diana?" he asked with a quiet, almost whisper-like tone. "I sense so much anger in you..."

"Not anger, Kal," she responded, her voice as quiet as his. Slowly, as if almost on instinct, the two began to lean their heads closer. "Passion." Their lips were inches away from meeting when they heard a cough. They instantly turned their head to see two figures in the doorway. Kal easily recognized the figure of his daughter trying to hide from behind the door while peeping to see what happened. He sensed there was a smile and a blush upon her face. The other figure, his arm leaning on the doorway with a cracked grin on his face, was one of the new people by the name of Red Robin.

"Umm... 'scuse us..." Robin said, containing the urge to chuckle. "But we thought you'd want to know." A silent giggle could be heard emerging from Cir-El's side of the doorway.

"Know what?" Superman asked. He was rather surprised neither he nor Diana felt any sense of embarrassment.

"It's Magog, Superman," Robin replied. "We've found him..."

Magog took his steps carefully as the wooden house rested upon one shoulder. "Gently..." he muttered to himself allowed. "... Gently..." He took another step. The weight of the house began to shake. On instinct, he brought his other arm up in an attempt to catch it. Too late. "No... NO..." He could do nothing as the fragile wooden house crumbled upon crashing into the ground.

He stood in place, breathing heavily and rapidly as he looked at what remained of the house. This passed for what seemed like hours before he clinched his teeth in frustrated rage. He screamed with pure hate as he aimed is scepter at the remains and blasted it into even smaller pieces. He kept firing and firing.

"What are you doing back in Kansas, Magog?" He stopped. Slowly, he took a deep breath and put on his best fake grin. He turned to face a familiar figure he had not seen in twenty years.

"Well, well," Magog said. "Look who it is. The Metropolis Milquetoast." He watched with no surprise as members of the Justice League descended from the Heavens and stood behind their leader. "I never left, Blue Boy."

"I saw the news footage of your last mission..." Superman said. "And believe me, it will be your last." He took a deep breath before shaking his head slowly. "I never thought you'd go this far over the top. You led six unstable powerhouses against one pathetic parasite... an overkill gesture that murdered. One. Million. People."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Magog barked. "Go ahead. Take a swing. Punish me. Try to lock me away... if you've got the guts." He tried to make a laugh, but he knew he couldn't even convince himself of such a gesture.

"I'm not afraid of you, Magog," Superman said with a cold glare and determination.

"Oh, get outta town," Magog fired back, shaking his head with disgust. Then he stopped and grinned. "No. Wait. You already did that." He stepped closer to Superman, pointing his finger at him. "Actually, you've got a lot of nerve blaming me. This was YOUR fault."

"My fault...?" Superman asked, curious to know what the would-be hero meant while returning his cold glare.

"Think back," Magog stated, beginning to pace about. "You're the one who let himself get strung up by the man on the street. Vox populi, man. Out with the old, in with the new. Brighter, faster, meaner. Next year's model. That's what the hungry crowd always wants. Had to've been eating at you for a while before I even came into town. Hell, they were calling you old-fashioned when I was a teenager.

"World's oldest Boy Scout... but you wouldn't change. You wouldn't get in step. You wouldn't flex with the times. Remember? The Daily Planet asked if that's why The Joker got so many notches on his belt when he blew into our town. How many died he take out just that last time? Ninety-two men...?"

"And one woman," Superman added, his voice growing deeper with anger.

"Hell," Magog spitted. "We both tore up the city looking for the bastard. I really though you or Batman would get to him first. Even I almost missed him. Almost. I will never forget the look on your face when you saw me standing over that smoking creep. All the way to jail, I thought, 'What a sap. What an old woman. Blue Boy's dragging me in for having stones he doesn't. Times are tough. Joker'd been deserving worse than 'cuffs for years. So I took it on myself to lay him down. I can't be judged for that!' And I was right. I was a hero.

"But you just wouldn't roll with it. You had to get in a last shot and piss me off. I wanted that torch passed. I wanted to cement my claim as Metropolis's new Number One. I asked for a title bout between you and me... and I won by default... when you flew off with your cape between your legs." Magog paused and stopped in place, placing his eyes squarely upon that of Superman's. "I never got a piece of you... and now you're right here. Right where I want you."

Superman didn't move an inch. The other heroes wanted to do something, but Wonder Woman threw up her arms to hold them back. They watched with heart-pounding anticipation. They watched as Magog, breathing heavily surveyed what remained of Kansas. He grinned and coughed a chuckle.

"The way you took off?" he continued. "I always thought you were afraid of me. A lot of people did. But that wasn't it. You were afraid... that I was the Man of Tomorrow. You were afraid of the future I represented. Well, look around you. This is what I represent." Magog waved an arm about the desolation that surrounded them.

"You must be proud," Superman said.

"Proud?" Magog scoffed. "PROUD?" The head of his scepter began to charge and with a swift move pointed it toward Superman. "GOD DAMN YOU!" He fired an energy blast at his foe. The Justice League with jaws dropped in utter disbelief, not sure how to properly react. When the blast subsided and the smoke cleared, Superman stood still as if he hadn't been affected. He examined the scorches on his uniform before turning back to Magog.

"Proud of being the Man of Tomorrow?" Magog whispered as he looked at Superman standing before him. He breathed faster before slowly dropping to his knees. "Your fault... you bastard. The world changed... but you wouldn't. So they chose me." He removed his helmet and slammed it against the ground, clenching his eyes closed in the hopes of preventing his tears from escaping.

"They chose the man who would kill over the man who wouldn't..." he continued to mutter. "... and now they're dead. A million ghosts. Punish me. Lock me away. Kill me. Just make the ghosts go away." The Justice League looked about with disbelief and a bit of pity. Magog, the man considered responsible for ousting Superman twenty years ago, was weeping. Weeping for what he had become.

Superman closed his eyes and lowered his head upon the sight. Moments passed before Diana slowly approached from behind to place a hand of comfort upon his shoulder. He then said something that overcame her with shock and, whether she realized it or not, utter horror.

"We are at war."

Sixteen Days after the return of Superman...

"War. An art that, with one finishing stroke, I finally mastered... but to what ultimate triumph?" Superman watched from a distance as the speaker over saw the world that he ruled. "Apokolips is still helpless with those who cannot... will not... help themselves. Often have I considered uprooting the more aberrant lowlies... exiling them to some distant orb... but it seems unconscionable to inflict such grievous wounds on another planet. I'm sure you agree."

"Far be it from me to argue with the Lord of Apokolips," Superman comment, examining the helmet the speaker once wore. "I'm impressed age has calmed your legendary temper. You seem fully in control." He thought about not saying the next thing that came to mind, but he couldn't prevent himself. "You're more like Darkseid than ever, Orion."

A chuckle emerged from the other. "So it was written to be," Orion responded. "Our story has always been a generational one. It is said that many men eventually become their fathers."

"I wouldn't know," Superman said, stepping up to stand next to the planet's ruler. "I'd heard you'd finally... usurped Darkseid's throne. I was curious to see what you'd accomplished in his stead." He took a deep breath as he looked Orion in the eyes. "Not much. Frankly, Orion, of all the old allies I have encountered, you disappoint me the most. You're a God. You have the power to change your world."

"Or to destroy it," Orion said, trying to form a grin that would appear. "You would be surprised, I fear, at how easily one can lead to the other." He slowly turned and sat himself upon his throne. "I thought I had transformed Apokolips by finally overthrowing Darkseid's despotic rule. Imagine the horror of learning that, to the lowlies, ground under Darkseid's heel since Apokolips was young, liberty was every bit as paralyzing as fascism."

Orion sighed as he placed a hand to wipe the portion of skin above his lips and below his nose. "They rushed to elect a new ruler," he continued. "They chose me. Such was my reward. So bring them to my realm, Superman. Bring to me those whose presence on your world you consider too threatening. They can not possibly be more challenging to me than my own subjects."

"Deportation was never my intent," Superman said, shaking his head. "I have no desire to see anyone removed from their homeworld. Given the nature of my own struggle, I had hoped that Orion, the Dog of War, could lend some wisdom... but I was mistaken. I can learn nothing from you."

"That hardly matters," Orion said, as though the tone of his voice was in agreement. "If this is about emancipating a world from fear's tyrannical shackles... it isn't my help you need..."

"... never enough to free your bodies! You must first unlock your minds!" Superman examined the device as he listened to the teachings of Mr. Miracle being spoken to the huddle masses that made up the civilization of Apokolips. "We will show you that a slaughterhouse is not a home! When you reach out and touch freedom... you tower as tall as Orion! He fears you... for you can dream of things beyond him!"

Mr. Miracle bowed as scattered applauds were heard. His wife, Big Barda, shook her head with a smile as she stood from behind. He turned with a smile to the man examining his work. "I see," Superman commented, as he ran his fingers upon the device. "A lesson plan complete with visual aids. I always suspected you two would end up as teachers. So much the better for what I have in mind... because I need a very special kind of help. Are you and Barda in?"

Miracle let out a chuckle as he activated the device to project a vision before the anxious crowd. "Don't say 'in,'" he said. "It's too confining."

"You'll need a security force in the facility," Barda said, join in on the conversation. He no longer bore the armor that had since been passed down to their daughter. The eyepatch over her left eye was evidence of her character and who she was. "I'll put together the best..."

Miracle and Barda turned toward the sound of an all too familiar boom. Appearing before the three of them was Avia, daughter of Mr. Miracle and Big Barda. And one of the newest members of the Justice League.

"There you are, Superman!" she called. Quite suddenly, she realized who else was standing before her. "Mom? Dad?"

"Avia?" Miracle said with a raised brow.

"What brings you here?" Superman quickly asked before the parents started coming up with questions of their own.

"Oh, I came to retrieve you from Orion's lair, but you were gone!" the young lady replied, the surprise of seeing her parents subsided. "Hurry! I cannot keep the boom tube open much longer!"

Superman began to follow when he noticed the parents moving forward as well. Miracle then stopped and turned to give the other man a look of interest. "I see you've been recruiting," Miracle said.

"You were counting on us to work alongside Avia?" Barda asked with interest as she moved closer to her daughter.

"I was told that your story has always been generational," Superman said with a light chuckle. "Let's go."

Twenty days after the return of Superman...

Time folded and a new structure rose from the ashen fields of Kansas. An invention of necessity. A stronghold of justice. The Gulag. A penitentiary built to imprison the deadliest and most incontrollable of superhumans. It seemed unwise to contain so much power and fury under one roof, and yet... what other choice did Superman have?

As construction neared its end, he watched as the familiar figure of Green Lantern began to approach him slowly. He could easily sense nervousness upon his old comrade. "Something you want to ask me, John?" Superman spoke.

"Yeah... kinda..." John replied. "Around the time of... well... Kansas becoming barren... I was reminded that I wasn't the only Green Lantern in the universe. I was told that an emergency signal that only a Lantern could make contacted the Corps and disappeared just as quickly. The source came from here on earth, but I've running Emerald City at the time. I've been charged to investigate as a member of the Corps."

John took a deep breath, trying to find what else he could say to get his message across. "I hadn't said anything before because not even the Corps new exactly where on the planet the signal was coming from," he continued. "But recently I did some checking and deduced that the signal is somewhere in the state of Washington. And... I figured with the increase in members..."

"You want to request a leave of absence to perform your duty as the Green Lantern of this sector," Superman said, completing the statement for John with a smile. "I cannot take a man away from his duty unless it is of the utmost importance. And I believe things have calmed enough that I don't see a problem in your taking leave. And you're right, our ranks have grown as expected."

John returned a light smile. "Just call me in case of an emergency, Big Guy," he said. "And thanks."

"No problem," Superman said. He watched as his friend took a few steps back and took flight into the sky. He kept his eye on him until his figure was no longer visible. Then his smile disappeared and returned his attention to the Gulag.

"... congratulate our friend Xu'ffasch for negotiating the one union that may yet make the world safe... for mankind." The others around the table began to murmur with curiosity as to what Luthor could have possibly have now. They watched as he stood with a smile of grace upon his face. "Friends, I present to you our newest ally in the war against the Gods..." The doors opened and only a few did not react with complete and utter shock. "... The Batman!"

They all watched as Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance entered the room. Selina nodded, Ibn stood with a smile upon his face, Luthor appeared to chuckle. The only other person to not appear indifferent was Luthor's servant, who ever since they first laid eyes on him never seemed to stop smiling. And it was beginning to creep them out. Of the others, Waller placed a cold stare at the man formally known as The Dark Knight but did nothing more.

"They've begun to build a Gulag," Bruce announced. "You know this."

"I know that I don't want to spend my remaining days there," Luthor responded with a chuckle. "I can hardly believe you're here. If I'd known that a common enemy could bring us together, I would have invented one years ago. This must be killing you." He placed a lit cigar in his mouth as he outstretched his right hand for a shake.

"Given the circumstances, what choice do I have but to throw in with Lex Luthor?" Bruce chuckled as his right hand outstretched to accept the shake. Many watching could not comprehend the sight they were seeing. Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor were shaking hands as if they were jolly old friends. "Alone, neither you nor I can expect victory. But together... we can curtail the Justice League... once and for all..."

Much had been abandoned, publicly regarded as a hazard zone. Reports were about that two beings, many claiming them to be metahumans, spreading fear upon the land. Some called then saviors while others labeled them environmental terrorists. The very fear spread was said to be just upon those who would deprive the beasts and birds of their sanctuary. The fact that the color green was of strong presence led John Stewart to this Pacific Northwest area of land.

He took his time in surveying the landscape that surrounded him, making sure he didn't miss even the tiniest of clues. The overwhelming peace that overtook the area was the complete contrast of the chaos about through out the rest of the world. For a moment, he began to wonder if creating an Emerald City above the planet was such a good idea.

There was a rustle of trees to his right. It may have been nothing more than a series of animals moving about, but he wasn't taking any chances. He stood in place awaiting whatever attack would come, if any. Moments had passed. He heard nothing more than the singing whistles of birds. Another moment passed before finally turning away to return to his investigation. He took one step forward. A rustle in the trees. He turned, his emerald blade generating just as quickly and ready to defend himself.

The spear wielding male teen in the air froze in disbelief. But John could sense it wasn't from the emerald blade that he bore. The figure looked at him directly in the face. As if he had seen something that was very familiar and hadn't seen in times past. John decided to take the opportunity to examine the figure and was quite surprised to see something he didn't expect. The figure bore wings upon his back. And they weren't fake wings, either. John noticed something else familiar about the figure. The helmet he wore. It was very familiar. A moment of silence passed before them.

"I don't believe it," the figure whispered. "You're here. You're here!" A smile came upon the figure's face before flapping his wings, ascending just above the treetops and turning in a direction behind him. "Jenny! Jenny! It worked! It worked, he's here! He's finally here!"

As the figure turned back to face him with overwhelming excitement, John couldn't prevent himself from expressing confusion. It was then that the second figure appeared. What he saw was as even bigger surprise as his eyes widened. Hovering above next to the male figure was the person called Jenny. Her skin and long hair were the color green. The white clothing she wore bore the all too familiar insignia of the Lantern upon her chest. And much like the other figure, she was just as young and had a look of absolute joy.

"You came!" she cried, laughter escaping from her lips as she flew at full speed into John. She wrapped her arms around him and spun, gently tightening her embrace upon him. "You came, you came, you came! I can't believe it! I barely got it off properly and it worked!"

John was utterly confused. "Um... I take it you know who I am...?" he asked curiously with a raised brow.

"Oh, oh I'm sorry," Jenny giggled as she released her embrace and hovered a couple inches away from him. "I'm very sorry, I'm just... I'm just so happy!" The other figure descended slowly and landing behind her, retaining his smile. "Um... I'm Jenny, as you probably heard. Though I try to pass myself off in public as Jade. He's my brother, Rex. He tries to come off as War Hawk."

"Jenny and Rex, eh?" John said, still not sure what to make of what was happening.

"Oh, oh I'm so sorry," Jenny said. "It's just... just... well... We've been waiting eighteen years for this moment. Mom always told us you would come, even if we had to... um... as she would say, 'Drag you out of that self-generated bed of yours.' That's the phrase!"

"Eighteen years?" John said. "You've been waiting eighteen years to meet me? Why have you two been waiting for..." He came to a complete pause. Moments later, everything began to make sense. Memories flooded his mind. Visions he had not seen in nearly two decades. His look of confusion disappeared. Instead... his eyes widened in sudden realization, looking squarely at the overjoyed faces of the two teens before him.

"You're..." he started to say. "You're..." He closed his mouth and shook his head quickly to find the right words to say. "Where's your mother? Is she still alive!"

"Mom?" Rex said. "Oh, yeah. Yeah. She's still alive. She's been under the weather for a long time so she stays back at the..." He didn't get to finish when John marched over and they could clearly see the look in his eyes.

"Take me to her!" he cried. "Please!"

The two didn't know whether they shouldn't be smiling or not, but they nodded in agreement. They pushed off with him following as they made their way as quickly as possible. They were approaching the mountains where John noticed an opening at one side. His heart was racing fast. Faster than even the speed that hot shot could run. They flew inside the cavern. John didn't have time to examine his surroundings when the two slowed their pace and landed before a doorway covered with a cloth cover. He left no time to let his eyes take in any sort of information. He quickly pushed the cover aside and stood perfectly still to behold the sight before him.

There she was. Never had the phrase 'sleeping beauty' become more appropriate. She looked as though she hadn't aged a single day, despite the incredibly small evidence of otherwise. He moved slowly, not daring to blink in fear that she would disappear if he did. He came upon the bedside and dropped gently to his knees. A tear began to run down his cheek as he slowly lifted his right hand. It was shaking, hoping that what he was about to feel was truly real and not some imagination. He stroked the feathers of her wings. They were real. He then gently stroked the skin upon her arm. It was real. He gently brushed away the strands of red hair that covered her face. They were real. He then gently placed his right hand upon her left cheek and left it there. Her cheek was real.

"Shayera..." he whispered.

Slowly, he watched as her eye lids drew open. He swore that her green eyes began to glow. She felt a hand upon her cheek and slowly turned to face him. Their eyes locked together with no further movement for what seemed like an eternity. They were completely lost in each other's vision. Then, quite slowly and gently, a small smile began to form on her lips. He did the same in return.

"Hey..." she whispered.

He didn't even bother to fight the crying he felt. "Hey yourself..." he was able to sound.

Their foreheads gently touched as they wrapped their arms around one another, him bringing her up to a sitting position. He began to cry as they closed their eyes and widened their smiles. Watching from the door way, Jenny and Rex smiled as well. Jenny gently wiped the tears from her eyes as they watched the other two tighten their embrace. He sight they had waited eighteen years to see.

Their mother and father. Together at last...

to be continued...