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.

Fourteen months after the disappearance of Superman...

Only a few remained in the city. In unfathomable increase of metahuman activity scared those living in the smaller towns, under the false belief that life would be better in the streets of Metropolis, Keystone City, Washington, and more. Barely any one took noticed of his small little town. Even those who did live there took notice while sheltered in its buildings.

He surveyed the empty park, lacking of children to laugh about and play. Lacking teens playing fetch with their pet dogs. Lacking fathers teaching their kids how to fly a kite. It amazed him how one simple thing could cause a change of global proportions. Any reason why Superman's presence was highly valued.

John sighed as he turned to locate a place to sit. He spotted a wooden bench. And it was painted in green. A light chuckle came out of him as he slowly took a seat and exhaled. He looked about once again at his surroundings. A realization dawned upon him and he didn't like it one bit. Life was better with society, not without it.

He took for granted the constant laughing and noises of little children at play. He took for granted the teens wanting to explore life without the restraints of guidance. He took for granted the parents in their carefree luxury of enjoying the time they had to spent. All these things he took for granted, even as a hero. And now they were gone. Being alone was something he always thought he knew. He just realized how dead wrong he was.

He sighed as he let the time pass him by before getting up from his seat. Once last look at the park, he turned to walk down the cement pathway leading toward the exit. He barely took a few steps when he came to a complete stop. In the distance, upon a small hill, stood a figure he had not seen in years. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The figure remained.

He swallowed and began to approach the figure. He was only a few feet away when he came to a stop. He sighed, taking in the sight before him once more, and smiled the best he could. "Hello, Shayera," he said.

Shayera tried her best to form a smile of her own. "Hello, John," she returned. Silence engulfed them as they stood still, occasionally glancing at one another. Just a little over three years since the incident that changed their lives. It was amazing how one simple thing could cause a change of epic proportions.

Justice League

Kingdom Come

By Lord Akiyama

Based upon the story by Mark Waid and Alex Ross

Chapter Five: Generations

"How long have you been in town?" John asked as he handed her the coffee mug. He watched her mouth the word thanks as he held the warm mug with both hands. He sat in the chair to the side of couch she was sitting on. Since the disbanding of the League, John spent a lot more time making sure his apartment was nice and clean. Though Shayera was his first visitor in eight months.

"Before I saw you?" she replied, quietly blowing at the top of the mug. "Two hours. Was just coming in from British Columbia. Was originally gonna make a stop in Detroit, but I heard about the increase in metahuman activity there. So I decided to see a face instead of none for my next stop."

John nodded. "Detroit was among the first to get trashed real early," he said, taking a tiny sip of his coffee. Another quiet silence came over them, but only for a moment. "So... you've been traveling these past three years?"

"Yep," she replied, gently sipping her coffee. "Visited every corner of Europe, Asia and Australia before arriving in Canada. Seeing the sights I had never seen or heard of before. Just taking in all that there was to experience. The little things I never got to do in my life, now that I think about it."

"Asia, eh?" John said, able to form a small smile on his face. "I always wanted to see one of those Tibet monks ever since I got the ring. Never found the time to do so, though. Maybe I should give it a go."

"Very nice people, John," she said with a small smile of her own. "I'm thinking about going back after I've made the complete tour of the planet, visiting everything there is to visit. Just being on top of that mountain and meditating... I hadn't felt more at peace in a long time."

Silence once again fell upon them, broken only occasionally as they sipped their coffee slowly and gently. They knew there was something they wanted to talk about and they both knew they were afraid to address it. They both felt the other would bring up the subject. Silence continued to pass.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Shayera finally asked. She slowly lifted her eyes to face him. John tried to look away, but sighed and realized the subject would never be avoided no matter how hard they tried. Their eyes locked.

"Where do you wanna start?" he replied.

"I guess I'll start since I opened it for debate," she said with a sigh. "I kept moving about to ever think about settling down with someone and engage with a relationship. Besides, my heart ached every time I found myself thinking about the subject. Two men, two betrayals. I betrayed an Earthling and a Thanagarian betrayed me."

"Did you ever find solace for you pain?" John asked.

"A little," she replied with a small nod. "Another reason I wanna return to Tibet. The monks were able to teach me about the art of meditation, though there is plenty more I still need to learn. But what I've been able to understand has helped me come to terms with my emotions. My feelings." She took another sip of her coffee as John nodded with understanding. "Well... that's my end of the spectrum. How about you?"

John sighed after taking another sip of his coffee. "Two women," he said. "Two different personalities. Two amazing souls. Two from far off galaxies. A long distance relationship with Katma would've been difficult to maintain, especially when we're both Lanterns. Another reason why it didn't work for us. But I guess as time grew, we came to the realization that... well... we just knew it wouldn't work."

Shayera sighed upon hearing this. She was under the belief that she was partly responsible for John not going through with giving his relationship with Katma another go. "And then there's you," he continued with an even heavier sigh. "I keep having this feeling that... you did what you had to do because there was nothing else you could do. And, as much as everyone else would, I never blamed you."

Her eyes told him everything he needed to know. A sense of enlightenment... surprise... comfort... relief. He took another sip of his coffee and sighed again. "I did try to engage with another relationship," he continued. "Didn't last a month. Had to replace all my glassware and the television set." They both tried to make an attempt to chuckle, but it wouldn't give. Instead, they sighed and sipped their coffees again.

And silence once again fell upon them.

It was amazing how one simple thing could cause a change of epic proportions. Seven days after they had reunited, they were lying in his bed thinking about the same thing. Was what they did the right thing to do?

Was seven days too long a wait? Too short a wait? Just right? No where near being right? Would they find themselves doing it again? Was this nothing more than a one-night stand? So many questions began to flood through their heads. Both were afraid to say a peep in fear that anything that came out of their mouths would cause the other to feel insulted. And that was the last thing they wanted to happen now.

Their eyes stared into vast empty space. Though her head rested upon his chest, they were too afraid to do any other form of touching. No embrace. No gentle stroking of their bodies. There was enough paranoia in their minds to cause them to keep the length and measure of their breathing in check, afraid that any change would cause emotional chaos. It wasn't the first time for either of them, but it was the first time they did it together. And the fact that it was after what had happened three years ago, it scared them more than anything they could possibly imagine.

The silence had continued on for hours, but it felt like days. What felt like days, began to transform into weeks. What felt like weeks, began to transform in months. Then years. Then decades. The paranoia and fear that engulfed them was beginning to eat away at them. They knew it, yet they felt powerless to do something about it. Very soon, it was going to come to the point when they would just stop breathing all together. And the results would not be pretty.

Quite suddenly, Shayera closed her eyes and sighed. She then gently lifted herself in a seated position, on instinct bringing the sheet up with her to cover as much of her body as she could. There was still a lot of skin that could be seen, but it didn't matter. She opened her eyes and locked them upon John's. She took a deep breath as he finally turned his eyes so that they would lock. They had no idea what they were doing any more.

"John..." she said. Neither was sure how the tone of her voice came off as. "... Are you feeling anything right now...?" It was a question they were both afraid of. They didn't know if any answer would be truthful or a lie just to make the other feel better about the situation.

John sighed. "I'm not sure..." he replied. The fear and paranoia starting to take its toll in their minds. He didn't know if that was the right thing to say. She didn't know if he really felt anything at all. Their expressions told every little detail of just how scared they were.

Another moment of silence had passed when quite slowly and gently, Shayera turned her head and laid it upon his chest. Their returned their eyes to the vast empty space, hoping what they had said to each other would not cause the harm they fear would take place. They returned to checking the rate of their breathing. No other form of movement taking place. The paranoia and fear still engulfed in their minds.

They would have to wait to see what happened in the morning... if anything were to happen at all...

They found themselves once again lying together in his bed four days after their first. The difference was that they felt a little bit more relaxed with one another now than they did before. Though their eyes were staring into the vastness of empty space, it wasn't out of fear. Her head was once again rested upon his chest, but this time he had an arm resting around her shoulders. Paranoia and fear had subsided for the time being.

They still wondered if what they had done was right, but it was now more along the lines of the technique as opposed to having done it at all. John was an Earthling and Shayera was a Thanagarian. Two differing alien cultures, two differing methods of love making. Was there something a male Thanagarian could do that a male Earthling couldn't? Was there something a female Earthling could do that a female Thanagarian couldn't? A different set of questions for a different kind of situation. Unlike the previous set for a previous kind, though, there was no rush to answer.

Shayera let out a gentle sigh that cause her to close her eyes and form a small smile. John tilted his head just slightly enough to get a good look at her. He began to form a small smile of his own as he let out a gentle chuckle. The arm resting upon her shoulders moved just enough for him to stroke her hair.

"John..." she said, her smile faded a little. "... I have need to tell you... tell you that I still plan to keep traveling..." She wasn't sure how he was going to act. She wasn't sure if this was the right time to mention it.

"I know..." he responded, still stroking her hair with a gentle touch. His smile faded a little as well. "How long do you normally stay in a place before moving on?"

"Two weeks," she replied with a sigh. She adjusted herself slightly in the hopes that she could provide warmth for using her body while she allowed him to continue stroking her hair.

"So you leave in three days?" he said. He watched her nod gently. He gave out a sigh as he stopped stroking her hair and moving his arm back to being wrapped around her shoulders. "Three days..." he repeated in a quiet whisper.

A moment of silence returned, their eyes once again gazed upon the vastness of empty space. The first time resulted in paranoia and fear that caused them to lay awake for hours upon hours. This time, they began to wonder about other things that required no need for answering. Shayera was the first to close her eyes, falling asleep moments later and escaping into her dreams. John followed shortly.

It was not because it was their last night together before she returned to her travels. It was not because it was an accident. It was not because they wanted to do it one more time for the sake of it. Their arms wrapped one another with gentle tightness that further bolstered why they did it. They knew they were deeply in love with one another. They did it as a confirmation of their love. And in their minds, it was more perfect than they could have imagined.

They sighed in unison as they snuggled closer, feeling each other down to the gentle beating of their hearts. Shayera giggled and John smiled knowingly at what she thought. The phrase 'third times the charm' never felt more appropriate than the love they had made. Everything felt just right, unlike any they had ever felt before. As the moments passed, so did the realization that despite the happiness of what had just taken place... she was still going to leave.

Shayera sighed as she brought her head off his chest and looked him in the eyes. "John..." she said. "I want to ask you something... and it is very important that regardless of whether or not it could hurt my feelings... that your answer be as truthful and as honest as can be."

John raised a brow. "Sounds like a tall order you're asking for," he said. She giggled lightly, but it quickly died off.

"Of all the people that I've ever met, you are perhaps the most honest person I ever had the pleasure of knowing," she responded. She watched as he sighed and nodded, letting her know that she may ask her question. "No matter how long it takes... no matter if we find ourselves married to others... no matter where ever it may be... will you promise me that we will see each other once more before one of us passes...? Promise me we will meet again?"

She couldn't have asked for a taller order. He took a deep breath as he let the question sink in. It took him a good moment of deep staring into her eyes before he could conjure an answer in his head. "Are you sure you want to hear my... truthful and honest answer?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "Your truthful and honest answer, John Stewart." He nodded in understanding.

"Then my answer is yes, Shayera Hol," he said with a growing smile. "I promise that we will see each other once more. And I know that this will happen before either one of us die. I can feel it." He watched her smile grow before they sighed in unison once again and gently touched lips to share a kiss of love.

"I love you, John," she said.

"I love you, Shayera," he said.

It was amazing how one simple thing could cause a change of epic proportions.

Thirty days after the return of Superman...

The Man of Steel looked out upon the earth below through the glass window. There was something quite different about seeing this view from Emerald City as opposed to when there was the Watchtower. He sighed before hearing familiar footsteps approach him from behind. He could see through the reflection and recognizable figure of a certain young lady who always made him smile whenever she appeared.

"When was the last time you and I got to have a nice talk as father and daughter, Cir?" he asked, turning his head to face her. "Just between you and me with no one else around." With a light grin, she thought about what the right answer is for the question she was asked.

"I believe... a year ago, daddy," she said. "I wanted to see how you were coping with mommy gone and then we started to have a talk about the many people who were important in your lives. Mommy, gramma and grampa, Auntie Kara, Ms. Lang, Diana..."

"Diana?" he said, quite surprised upon hearing her name escape his daughter's lips. He seemed almost reluctant to address the issue that quickly began to form in his mind. "I... I mentioned Diana."

"Yep," his daughter replied. "I think you said something about her being... I believe... alluring... unique... an amazing personality inside an amazing woman... something like that, I think."

Superman thought about those words for a moment. He then formed a small grin. "Cir, my daughter, are you sure I said that a year ago?"

"Well..." she said sheepishly, looking to one side. "... you didn't say all those things." She watched him chuckle a little before turning back to the view of the planet below. "But I assure you that you did mention her name at least." It took a moment before he sighed in response to hearing Supergirl say that.

"I did, didn't I," he quietly muttered. After another sigh, he turned to his head to face his daughter once more. "Let me ask you something, sweetie. What do you think if I were to develop a relationship with Diana? And please be honest."

"Honestly?" she said. She thought for a moment before she began to slowly walk toward her father. "I think you should follow your heart, daddy. And I feel nothing but happiness for you. Because even though I'm a part of your life and we have Auntie Kara, you feel as though you're alone in the world. You still look upon yourself as a one of a kind guy. No one else like you. And I think deep down you're feeling that Diana might actually be someone who could turn that statement around. Turning a one of a kind guy into one of a unique pair of beings.

"Yet at the same time you feel as though that if you were to engage in a relationship with Diana, that might cause harm. You might believe that I would rebel against such an idea. That Kara wouldn't approve. That the others wouldn't approve... That you might dishonor mommy's memory. But with all my heart, you don't have to worry about that. You know why? Because you have so much love to give, daddy. You love mommy. You love me. You love gramma and grampa. You love Auntie Kara. And there could even be love for Diana. In fact, I think you should give it a shot."

She could swear she saw a light blush appear on her father's cheek upon hearing her last sentence. Normally, she would've started to giggle. But there was more to say. "In my heart, I know that you won't be dishonoring mommy's memory if you start a relationship with Diana," she continued. "Because you still love mommy... but the time has come to move on with your life." She watched as her father took a deep breath, taking in everything she had said. Seconds later, they were embracing and she wore a large smile on her face.

"Thank you, Cir," he quietly said as they released. "And I know deep down that your mother is very proud of you for talking to me today." He watched as she lightly giggled. A grin came over his face as he decided to move on to the next subject to keep the conversation between him and his daughter going. "So... I understand you've been getting to know this Red Robin a little better." His grin grew wider as his daughter grabbed her cape to cover her face, blushing and giggling uncontrollably.

Iris West slowly removed the costume out of the box. For six months she had kept it underneath her bed in case the emergency to uphold her father's mantle came to be. The Flash was still about and active, but she felt something was not quite right. She was happy that he was the scarlet speedster once more, but she started having trouble sleeping at night. There was just something about all of this that didn't bring her any comfort.

She listened carefully as she heard her parents verbally express their love for one another before he had to leave to resume his duty as part of the Justice League. She sighed after listening to the muffled sound of the front door closing. She looked back at the costume she held in her hands.

It took a full year to realize this costume. Months of endless designing on whatever scratch paper she could get her hand on, each one improving upon the last. She then had to spend the time, and money should it come down to it, getting the material together to construct the costume. She was very careful with every little detail used. It was only six months ago was the costume complete and fit perfectly upon her.

She stood up with the costume still in hand and looked at herself in the mirror. She then placed the costume over her, wanting to see herself potentially wearing it again. Would it still be able to fit her after six months? Was there any need to wear it at all? Did she waste time and money on a useless piece of Halloween costuming? The questions of doubt began to pour through her head. She sighed and was about to turn away until she saw something in the mirror.

It was a reflection of a framed photograph upon her table, but the picture was clear enough to capture her attention without having to turn her head. It was a picture of her father from when he was The Flash twenty years ago. He was young, brave, and a bit over his head when he started his career as a hero. Fearless, careless, he truly was a hero she could've looked up to were she able to see him back then.

His entire body language in the photograph spoke so much about him. A hero pushed forth to face his fears. Pushed forth to overcome any obstacle. Accept any challenge. Whatever doubt was in her head had quickly vanished. Her father's one contribution as a hero may be speed, but his heart was as big as any other. And by having that heart was he able to succeed as a hero. A look of determination painted her face as she returned her gaze to her reflection. It was time to prove her father proud. Proud to have passed on his gift. It was time to show him that she could face her fears. Overcome any obstacle. Accept any challenge. It was time for her to prove that she had the heart to be a hero.

The first thing that came into his mind was how beautiful she looked in her green dress. She smiled as she sat down next to him and welcomed his embrace. They turned their attention to the two youngsters resuming their training. The task for the day was to stand upon the very tip of a tree with one foot. And no powers. It was only a matter of time before one of them began to lose control of their balance, but they've remained in place so far for two hours.

"Its quite interesting when you think about it," Shayera said. "You and I used to bicker so much that Wally coined the term best. We sounded like an old married couple. Yet Rex and Jenny... they're as openly jolly and curious as that hot shoot speedster." They both laughed lightly at the comment.

"I came to the same conclusion the more I got to know them these past few days," John said, gently tightening his embrace. They sighed in unison, just feeling each other's warmth as they watched their children. Silence came over them for a moment before a question came to John. "Shayera... Rex said you hadn't been feeling well for a long time..."

Shayera sighed. "I didn't realize I carried twins when I had to give birth to them right away," she said. "Rex came out fine, but I was completely caught off guard when Jenny started to push through. As you can see, she's a very special child indeed. A true living battery, containing the power of the Lanterns at a near limitless supply. But she hasn't had the training to keep that very same power from overwhelming her.

"I don't blame her, nor do I not blame you. I haven't felt well ever since I gave birth to them. At one point, when they were seven, I wasn't getting out of bed. Sweating heavily, breathing hard, heartbeats racing. It was like I was about to have a heat stroke. In the middle of winter. They were crying and crying, and I so much wanted to do anything that I could to calm them. Then, when Jenny held onto my arm, this gentle surge of energy ran though me. And I felt better, more relaxed. Two days later, I was no longer knocking on Death's door."

Hearing her explain all this caused John to close his eyes with a bit of sorrow. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "I wish I was here. I wish I knew where you were. So that I could be there for you and for them."

"John, please," Shayera said with a gentle tone as she placed her fingers upon his lips. "Don't blame yourself. It worked out for the best, didn't it? I'm alive. We're together again. And we have our children with us. Think not upon the negatives, my love. Think only the positives."

John sighed as he calmed himself, taking his love's words to heart. "I take it you were able to return to Tibet," he noted as he thought about the words she used.

"I never got the chance," she giggled. "After I gave birth to the kids here, we never left. I couldn't. And neither could they. But it wouldn't have mattered any way. This is our home, John. As much as we have a desire to see the outside world, we are not prepared to encounter what we would meet. So we wait patiently and train for when the time is right."

John nodded as he noticed Rex wobble a bit. "I was just thinking, you know..." he started to say with a smile. "I made a promise that we would see each other one more..." They both moved their heads so that they would be facing one another. "I never felt more proud to have lived up to anything in my life than to have kept my promise."

"And I thank you, my love, for keeping your promise," she said. They shared a gentle loving kiss and moments later laughed lightly as their moaned as losing his balance before his giggling sister did.

to be continued...