J'onn had been waiting anxiously for the past week waiting for communication from his teammates. Aside from occasional communications requesting information he hadn't heard anything. He had with the help of the other founding members had finished a certain project, which he thought would be most helpful to Gear. Sighing he reached out with his mind locating the other founding members. Green Lantern and Hawkgirl were on the observation deck below talking while Flash was busy scarfing down his sixth helping of dinner. Suddenly he received a call from Superman.
" J'onn this is Superman. I need you to beam eight up now. We need to emergency medical teams standing by. Get us out of here now!"
Without hesitation J'onn activated the transporter while simantanesly summoning the EMTs. A crowd gathered waiting anxiously to see what had happened to the members who had left with Static and Arra. The transporter finished rematerlizing the seven members. Everyone was surprised to see three bloody and torn up wolves but gasped at the condition the other members where in.
Superman cape had been shredded in several places. His suit had tears all over it and his face was worn and covered with dried blood. He looked totally exhausted and seemed ready to collapse. Batman was no better. His cape and cowl hung crookedly and he seemed to be having difficulty moving. Static dreadlocks were cut in several places while his coat had three shrukiens lodged into. His mask was barely hanging on and his costume seemed to have bite marks all over it. All three were kneeling down next to Gear and Arra.
Gear was in pretty bad shape. His uniform was barely covering him and the injury to his heart was still bleeding though not as profoundly. His breathing was ragged and he was slipping further into a coma.
Arra was also unconscious. She had gone into shock from the injury to her abdomen. Her clothes were all messed up and her other injuries were not healing as fast as they should. The EMTs loaded the two injured teens and rushed them to surgery with J'onn following close behind. Hopefully he could save the two lovers before they succumbed to their injuries.
"I sure hope that Richie and Arra will be okay. Do you think they'll survive the surgery?" Static asked anxiously rubbing his hands together as he watched the med team take his friends away.
Superman placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly, "I'm sure that J'onn can save them. He's a great surgeon. He won't let them die."
Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Flash rushed over to see if they could offer assistance to their friends and find out what had happened down there. "I sure hope that you can explain everything to us in your mission debriefing. Mind telling us what happened?"
"Later. Right now we have more important things to worry about. I better call Diana and see how things are going down there." Batman told them.
"Could you answer at least one question Bats. Why did you bring a bunch of wolves aboard the Watchtower? I mean I know I'm a little slow, but I seem to remember there's a rule against bringing dogs here." Flash said waving his hand towards the three loup-garou. Before anyone could warn him Vivian was on him in a flash.
Vivian growled angrily at him. She snapped her jaws at his face. Mark and Gabriel barked at her to let it go, but she refused. Static yelled at Flash, "You might want to apologize for calling her a dog!"
"I would if I could! Don't just stand there help me!" Flash screamed as he tried to shake Vivian off him but she dug her nails deep into his costume. Superman and Green Lantern moved to intervene when Vivian let out a yelp of surprise and a shudder passed through her body. Suddenly her tail was sucked into her body, legs changed direction, and fur vanished finally ending with her face emerging. Where mere moments before a wolf was now a beautiful girl appeared. Flash couldn't stop himself. He smiled up at her and said, "Hey cutie, looks like you're all over me."
Vivian drew back her faced and punched him in the nose breaking it. Everyone just stared secretly admiring her. "Don't you dare insult me like that ever again you hear me! I have been through too much in the last half hour to have to deal with a cub like you. I am a Queen! I deserve respect understand?"
Flash nodded his head being careful not to jostle his broken nose. She stood up and looked at Mark and Gabriel who seemed as surprise as her to be in their skin and not their fur. Suddenly they noticed that everyone was staring at them. "What you never seen a loup-garou before? Move along people!" Mark barked.
"Hawkgirl could you please fetch our guests some spare uniforms from the laundry room?" Superman asked. She nodded and returned a few minutes later with three uniforms, which the werewolves quickly slipped into. "Thank you."
"I'm still confused about something. How is it that we are in our skins? It was Saturday night with a full moon. Granted its Sunday now but its still a full moon. We should still be in our fur." Gabriel pointed out.
"Actually I did some research on how the full moon affects you. I discovered that it's the gravitational pull of a full moon that triggers the metamorphosis in your body. But up here in space where the moon is always full the gravitational pull is equilibrium so that means you stay in your skin." Batman explained from a nearby counsel.
"When did you have time to research that?" Static demanded, "When we were literally risking our lives against a blood thirsty serial killer?"
"I had some spare time which I took advantage of." Batman said simply.
"Okay I think you guys need to head to the infirmary to get your injuries attend to. We wouldn't want any of you to get an infection or something." Green Lantern said sternly.
"If it's alright by you Superman we like to explore your pack's den. As members of our pack it is our duty to inspect the stronghold of our members home. We promise not to touch anything or hurt anyone." Gabriel promised.
"Not to mention it will be awhile before we hear anything about Arra and her mate. We might as well use the time wisely." Mark pointed out.
Superman thought about for a moment then nodded his head. "Alright you may explore the Watchtower, but don't go into any unauthorized areas and please keep your tempers in check. We don't want another broken nose on our hands." The three of them nodded and left.
"Are you sure its wise to let them wander around without an escort? I mean look what they did to my nose!" Flash complained.
"Will you stop whining already? It's your own fault you know. You just had to insult them and then to make matters worth hit on a married woman who happens to be a queen. If you ask me you got what you deserved." Hawkgirl informed him. Everyone laughed at that while Flash just glared angrily at her. He then zoomed away to get his nose fixed with the rest of them following him.
The three loup-garoues were having the experience of their lives. They had each split up to cover more ground and to learn as much as they could. Never in their entire lives had they seen such a place. They were dazzled by all the technology, the people, everything! They had met other packs before and knew about several different magical communities but none were as accepting and as well organized at this. After eating an early breakfast they went back to the observation deck to stare at the moon. Never before had a Homo Lupus been this close to Mother Moon before. It was simply breath taking.
"This place is absolutely incredible. In my entire life I have never before seen such a magnificent pack. There are members from other planets, members without powers, and members with magic. To think that they can all live and work together in harmony up here is just plain amazing." Mark yammered. He was very excited.
"The discipline and order of this Watchtower is fair and just. The seven original members hold most of the power, but they do listen to the other members and equally distribute missions. No one is left out. Everyone is giving a fair chance. Talking with several members I have come to this conclusion. While they may have a lot of power and they could impose a serious threat to the world they would never voluntarily harm anyone or impose their will either." Gabriel remarked.
"Yes but I overheard some of the members talking. There have been some difficulties lately. Someone or something is plotting against these good people. They could eventually turn out to be a threat to the magical community. If their was ever a time to update the Magical Constition the time is now. Allying ourselves with the League will not only give us protection from harm, but also give us legal representation in the world if were ever discovered." Vivian told them both.
"We could hold the Conference right here! This place is big enough and secure enough. With a little trouble it could be adapted to fit everyone's needs and wants. I'm sure our new friends wouldn't mind. After all they could help decide how we should fix the problem." Mark said seriously.
"But who would be in charge of this whole thing? Not to mention our liaison between the world of mortals and the world of magic? I know that several magical and supernatural beings will refuse to allow a normal person to be in charge of everyone's affairs." Vivian admitted.
"If I may make a suggestion?" a powerful and echoing voice said behind them. The three shape shifters turned around and gasped. Standing behind them in his blue and gold uniform was Dr. Fate. He was a legend in their circles.
"It is not only a pleasure, but an honor and privilege to meet you Dr. Fate. There are many beings such as ourselves who respect you and your wife. You said that you had a suggestion for us?" Gabriel asked after shaking Dr. Fate's hand.
"Yes. When I heard there were werewolves aboard the Watchtower I came to see if it was true. Not much has been heard from your kind in these past few years. You tend to keep to yourselves to avoid being persecuted." Dr. Fate explained.
"True. Most humans can't tolerate us. But we have discovered that's not always the case. That's why we and several members of the magical community wish to update our legal system." Vivian said.
"I would be honored to help you out. I have a way with words and helping groups of people agreeing to things of importance. Though I have no experience with politics I am accepted as one of the foremost experts on magic. The world knows and respects me. I could be the Ambassador for the magical community. I'm sure that I could persuade several members of the League to help out with the Conference." Dr. Fate told them.
"You would really do that for us? It would be much appreciated. All right it's settled then. Once things have cooled down a little bit will talk to Superman and get the details sorted out. Thank you again for being such a big help." Gabriel said bowing in respect.
"It is not a problem. I look forward to the day when the magical community and regular community can live together and in peace and harmony. Contact me when everything is sorted out. Till then have a nice evening. I also hope that your friends recover." Dr. Fate said simply before leaving them.
"We better head to the Surgical Wing. I want to be there when Arra gets out of surgery. I hope that she will be okay." Vivian said nervously. Gabriel took her hand squeezing. She looked at him. "There has been to much death in my life. I can't stand anymore."
"There won't be any more death. Arra is a warrior. She will fight to survive. Arra didn't take out the Vampanzee Lord to die by his inflictions." Gabriel assured her.
"Besides if her mate could survive a week of torture by the guy and cheat death by receiving the spirit of Arra's former mate do you really think that he will leave her now? No both of them have suffered to much to simply give up and die." Mark told her confidently. Smiling at being reassured the three of them headed to the Surgical Wing to check on the progress of their friends.
When they arrived they saw the others pacing around anxiously in the waiting room. Their own injuries had been attended too and now they were waiting for word on their two friends. "What's taking so long? I'm going crazy just waiting here." Static said angrily.
"Be patient Static. Both Arra and Richie sustained major injuries. It's going to take a long time for the medical team to repair the damage. You wouldn't want them to rush through the procedure and make things worse now would you?" Superman asked.
"No, its just I feel so powerless. I mean we've been through so much in the past week, come to far for it to end like this. I just don't want them to die." Virgil said softly.
"No one is going to die Static. Both Arra and Richie are fighters. They won't give up on life. I mean look at the situation. Arra nearly killed herself in the attempt to save her beloved. Do you really think she would let her soul go to Paradise knowing that her mate is here on Earth?" Vivian questioned him.
"Besides we have the best surgical team working on them. Not to mention J'onn. He's the best doctor in the entire world. He won't let anything happen to your friends. I can promise you that." Batman reassured him.
A little while later Wonder Women appeared carrying Gear's helmet and Backpack. Everyone leapt up from their seat impatient to know what had happened to Hippacrities and his mad vampets. Indicating for everyone to sit down she proceeded to tell them what happened after they left. "First off your pack went back to the boarding house and are waiting for your return Gabriel. They stayed only long enough to make sure no one got away while I was waiting for the police. When they arrived I told them exactly what had been going on, who had been responsible for all the murders and thefts in Dakota, and presented them with our evidence. I made sure that everything was returned to their proper owners. Hippacrities and his vampets were taken to the hospital for medical treatment. After they were treated they were sent to the station for booking and are currently in lock down. They have twenty four hour guard and are in isolation. There's going to be a trial, but its all for the public eye. The District Attorney is seeking the death penalty and likely their going to get it. I can think off no defense that will get Hippacrities off the hook for what he did."
"Arra will be pleased when she finds out. Killing Hippacrities won't stain at least her honor. Someone else has taken that responsibility off her hands." Mark commented.
"I guess all we can do now is sit here and wait for them to finish up with the surgery. That and pray." Green Lantern remarked.
The surgery had begun at ten after midnight. 18 hours later they were finally finished repair the broken and severally damaged bodies of Arra Sails and Richie Foley. They were both still in critical condition, but they were stable for now. They were moved to the ICU for observation. J'onn went to inform the "family."
Everyone shot out of their seats when they saw J'onn emerge. He was physically tired and drained from the effort of keeping the two teenagers alive. He looked at the party assembled knowing that they were hoping for good news. "The surgery went as well as can be expected. There were no complications and right now they're in the ICU recovering. If you will all follow me quietly I can take you to see them and explain more about their condition."
J'onn led them down a long hallway till they reached a door marked ICU. Punching in a code the door slid open allowing them to enter. They stepped inside and gasped at what they saw.
Richie was hooked up to more then a dozen life support machines. He had at least three IV's running through him. According to the monitor his brain activity was at an all time low. His body was wrapped in all kinds of bandages with casts over his broken bones.
In the bed next to him lay Arra. She also looked bad. Her wound had been stitched up and fresh dressing covered it. She had a transfusion going on while a machine dripped blood into her mouth. Her broken hand and leg had been mended. She was in a coma.
"I'll start with Richie. His internal organs had along with his body systems had nearly shut down completely. We had to jump start them. He was seriously malnourished and dehydrated so we started an IV line to take care of that. The damage to his heart was extensive, but for some reason the wound was somewhat healed when we began to fix it. The team fixed the rest of his body up the best they could, but there seems to have been some extensive damage to his mind. He suffered some sort of trauma that has left him with brain damage. If he ever recovers he might never be able to walk again not to mention he could very well lose his powers." J'onn explained patiently.
"That will kill him. Richie nearly lost it when he lost his powers before. But now this is much worse." Static said sadly.
"What about Arra? What's the story with her?" Superman demanded.
"Yeah is the vamperiss going to be okay?" Flash asked urgently.
J'onn just looked at them helplessly. "I'm not sure to be honest. Her healing powers seem to be inactive at the moment. The knife cut a through her spleen, and nicked both her intestines. I was able to repair the damage without having to remove her spleen. We had to reinflate her right lung because it had been crushed. She had a skull fracture which resulted in a concussion, which is probably why she's in a coma. It took us hours just to fix the damage to her hand and leg. She needed a blood transfusion, but her body started feeding on it instead. I can only assume that's why her healing powers are inactive."
Batman snapped his fingers. "She told us that she would need to feed on blood again late Saturday or early Sunday in order to be at full strength. With all the chaos going on last night she never had a chance to. And we weren't in any position to offer her blood."
"So I what did you do to solve the transfusion problem." Flash asked curiously.
"She needed blood to feed on so her body could recover, but at the same time she needed blood to replace what she lost. It had to be a different kind of blood that was still rich in iron otherwise she just consumes it as food. So I ran a check on are database and discovered that Thanagarian blood is rich in iron so that's what I'm feeding here while giving her human blood." J'onn told the group.
"Excuse me. Are you saying my blood is keeping that girl alive?" Hawkgirl said surprised. She looked at the sleeping girl in wonder.
"Would it be a good idea to change her back to human so she doesn't need the second source of blood?" Green Lantern inquired.
"I advice against it. The transformation from vampire to human would be too much of a shock for her body. In her condition she would most likely die." J'onn said.
Static looked at the heart rate monitor that beeped indicating Arra's heart was still beeping and the respirator that was breathing life into his best friend. He wrung his hands fretfully finally turning to face the adults. "So when do you think they're going to wake up? I mean we have to be back in Dakota by nine ten at the latest or were in deep trouble."
Everyone looked at him like he had gone insane which in all likelihood he had. "Static, Virgil your friends are in stable but critical condition. They need to be constantly monitored and one of your friends is on life support. They won't wake up for a long time and when they do it's going to take weeks month for them to get back to normal if they get back at all. The best thing for them now is to stay here. We will have to contact their families and explain what is going on so they can stay up to date with their children's treatment plan." J'onn told him.
"Aren't you the least bit concerned for your friends health at all? I mean your being selfish thinking about what's best for you right now while your friends lie there fighting for their lives." Flash remarked.
"How can you be so cold hearted?" Hawkgirl asked
"Hey its not about being coldhearted or selfish its about survival. You may not understand this because all of you are adults and don't have to worry about parents, but I do. My dad wanted me and Richie to give up being superhero's after some crazy women kidnapped him to get to me. But he didn't stop us. He said that we had been given these powers for a reason that it wasn't his place to stop us and it wouldn't be right at all. He also warned me that if anything really bad occurred I was finished. Richie's parents are great people really, but they have no clue that their son is Gear. They barely managed to understand Richie's choice for becoming a vampire or that he needed to stay with Arra. I don't know all the details, but it took a lot of persuasion to convince them to let Richie and Arra continue dating."
"Now lets move onto Arra shall we? Her clan may not have any powers anymore, but they will take out their anger and frustration on the bearer of bad news namely me. Victor will also be extremely furious. I don't think you can possibly comprehend how dangerous this man is when someone he cares a great deal about has been hurt. Victor was the King of Vampires and all though he may have slept for six hundred years he can still take on a grizzly with one hand behind his back and come out victorious. This guy is beyond scary, he's even scarier then Batman! So forgive me if I sound harsh, but I really don't want to die!" Static yelled at them.
"That's enough Static. No one is going to skin you and no one I repeat no one will stop you from continuing on as Static. Trust me everything is going to work out just fine." Vivian said as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Yeah, some us will go with you when you contact Richie's folks and Arra's as well. Will make sure nothing bad happens to you." Mark told his friend.
"Thanks you guys. You really are good friends. Arra was right you guys can help with any situation." Static said
"But one thing still puzzles me." Gabriel commented. He turned to face J'onn and asked something. "Isn't it odd that instead of fighting and achieving conscience their both slipping further and further into a coma? I mean both of them are finally together after being separated for so long. You would expect two lovers who were both telepathic to try and make mental contact, but we've seen no indication of that."
"The wolf dude is right. From everything we know about those two and vampire abilities they should have been awake by now or at least chatting up a storm." Flash spoke up.
"Unless they can't because don't know that their both alive! Arra was in major pain and slipping into shock when Larten spirit merged with Richie. She probably didn't have enough time to record the event in her long-term memory. She probably thinks he's dead. That's why she doesn't want to live. Vivian you once mentioned that if one mate dies the other will usually die to join them. Why didn't Arra do that when Larten when he died." Static asked.
"At the time there were so few vampires left it would have been foolish. Besides look how everything turned out. She loves Richie with all her heart and soul. With what I've seen the same goes for Richie. It seems to me that in order for them to survive they need to make mental contact. Vampire's mates are psychically linked together. It gives them comfort and assurance to feel one another's presences." Vivian explained to him.
"Arra told me how much she missed hearing his voice inside her. Richie also mentioned that he missed merging his thoughts with hers. Your right you know that Vivian. Our only chance for them to make a full recovery is if they link together, but how? Richie's telepathy is with machines while Arra's is with other vampires. We need someway to bridge the gap." Static mused.
"J'onn could your own telepathic powers be strong enough to help them join together in their mind and would it be safe?" Wonder Women asked.
J'onn thought about it for a few minutes. Finally he spoke. "I believe that I can successfully link the two together mentally without harming them. But I will need complete silence so I can concentrate." He then walked over to the patients and placed a hand on their foreheads. His eyes glowed brightly as he opened his mind up and tried to connect the two patients together.
Arra was floating in the air. She felt no pain, no hunger, nothing at all. She gazed down and saw her body. Suddenly she was flying past the stars, past the heavens, towards a brilliant white light. All she could thing about was reaching that light. When she touched it she emerged in the most amazing place she ever could imagine.
The place was suspended in a silvery gray mist. It was a large grassy area with both the sun and moon in the sky at the same time held. There were trees, waterfalls, and meadows everywhere. She could hear animals and saw in the distance Vampire Mountain. Strolling all over the place were the spirits of deceased friends and clan mates. She knew immediately where she was. This was Paradise, vampire heaven!
"I guess I completed my destiny so I deserve to rest all eternity with my friends." Arra said. But when she tried to enter the place the mist held her back. "What gives? I'm dead aren't I?"
"Not yet you aren't my dear. This was the only way we could talk to you." A voice said from behind her. A voice she knew all to well. She spun around and came face to face with her mother, father, and two people, a man and a woman, who looked very familiar, but she couldn't quite place them.
"Mama! Papa! I've missed you for so long. I hope you can understand why I became a vampire. I didn't to for any evil reasons if that's what your thinking." Arra explained.
"Hush dear. We know why you have done the things you have done over the last seven hundred years. Were very proud of you. You have accomplished so much, but there is still much to do. Your destiny is not complete yet. You must return to Earth." Her mother told her gently.
"I don't understand. Why should I return? I remember defeating Hippacrities, but I let the one person I care about more than anything in this world die. How can I face life knowing that Richie is dead and I'm responsible for it like I was responsible for Larten's death?" Arra inquired.
"Arra do you really believe that your responsible for that as well as the death of all your friends and families over the years? Because you're wrong my daughter. None of that was ever your fault. Your lover is still alive. He needs you just like the Earth needs you." Her father told her.
"A time of reckoning is upon the Earth. Both the normal citizens of Earth and the human race are in trouble. What your friend Gear has uncovered is only the tip of the iceberg. If you don't return all will be lost." The man said. Suddenly it clicked in her head who he was. He was Batman father Thomas Wayne! She must be seeing him because she had done a spirit transfer with Batman.
"Alright I understand. Earth needs people like me who have lived for centuries to help those who fear superheroes. They may not be vampanzees, but I believe that my power can help in the long run. Thank you all. I guess I'll return to my body now." Arra told them. She hugged her parent's good-bye and shook Thomas hand, but Martha stopped her for a moment.
"I just want you to take a message back with you. Give it to my son. Tell him that his parents are very proud of him and what he does. That should put his troubled mind at rest." She told her.
"I will Mrs. Wayne. You have my word. Now I have to go. I get the sense that someone's calling me." Arra told her. She took one last look at Paradise before she turned her back to it and headed for home.
She returned to her body only to emerge in a thick purple fog. She walked slowly around wondering where she was. Then she spotted someone emerging through the fog. It was Larten and he was smiling. "I only have a few minutes left. Shall we talk?"
She threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly. She then gently stroked his scar. "At least this time I get to say good bye. Larten I don't know how I can ever thank you for saving Richie's life. He means so much to me. I hope that you aren't mad that I chose a new mate."
He ran a hand through her hair and smiled at her. "Arra if I was mad do you really think that I would give up my chance for Paradise if I didn't approve of your choice? My omnipinunt one you had to move on and you did. Richie is a fine warrior. Brave, courage, and strong like any vampire warrior. He's also humorous, kind, and understanding. But now that I'm part of him he'll be more than that. When you wake up give him my flute. I know that you still carry it." Larten informed her. He then leaned in and kissed her good bye.
"I will always love you Larten Horston. Never forget that." She called to him as he disappeared into the mists. In his place stood Richie. The two of them stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before running into each other's arms.
"I thought I lost you Richie. I thought that you had died!" Arra cried.
"I thought I never would hold you in my arms again. The moment Hippacrities stabbed me I thought that was it. That I was a dead man for sure. That I would never get to do half the things I wanted to do in my life. I never get to go to collage, marry, and have a family. I would never tell my biggest secret to my parents. But that's not going to be the case now that were together. But how can we return to our damaged bodies? I mean I tried to communicate with you but I couldn't. Speaking to you telepathically has taken all my strength."
"Mine too. I feel as if there is a third party assisting us. We need to go home my love. We both have to complete our destinies. I think I can repair the damage to our bodies by using the full power of the Bloodstone, but your going to have to trust me." Arra told him.
"Arra I trust you with my heart and soul. I put my trust in you always." Richie told her taking her hands in his. They both closed their eyes and concentrated hard.
J'onn removed his hands from his patients foreheads and stepped back to return to his friends. "I've done all I can to help them. It's now up to them. I believe I was successful in joining them together. Now we wait and see if my efforts paid off."
"Look!" Static said pointing at his two friends. Everyone just stared in amazement as Arra's right hand reached out and held Richie's left hand tightly. Suddenly the Bloodstone began to glow a dark red. Everyone in the room briefly glowed red and then a light left their body and joined with the Bloodstone. "What was that all about?"
"It seems the Bloodstone needs extra powers for what its about to do." Mark commented.
The Bloodstone glow grew brighter and bright before it spread all over the bodies of the two patients. Their damaged bodies were speed healed. Cuts, bruises, and scraps vanished. The burn marks on Richie's body were replaced with normal flesh. Their broken limbs were repaired and all internal injuries were fixed instantly. Their hair, face, and clothes were the last thing to change back to normal. The life support machines and blood transfusions were pushed away seeing how they were no longer needed.
That's when all the computers through out the Watchtower sprang to life. Green data streams flowed through the air and entered Richie's mind. Batman raced to a terminal and examined what was going on. "It seems that his mind is using the computer software to repair the damage to his brain and reawaken his powers. He's not getting any data from our files. That's a relief."
Wonder Women noticed that Arra's body was still under the Bloodstone's influence. Her fangs disappeared her, her muscles lessoned, and her nails became dull. A look on the monitor showed her DNA was human. The last thing the Bloodstone did was fragment once again into nine pieces. One piece went inside Arra's body. That's when both Arra and Richie woke up.
"Arra! Richie! You guys are awake and healed! How is this possible? I mean what's going on?" Static demanded as he rushed over and gave his friends the biggest bear hug he could manage.
"What happened is very simple. I complete my mission so the Bloodstone decided to heal Richie and myself. But since I still have a destiny to fulfill the Bloodstone fragmented leaving a piece of itself inside of me. Whenever I need to call upon my vampire powers I simply concentrate and the Bloodstone does the rest. The rest of my clan will be given the same opportunity when I return the Bloodstone to them." Arra explained to everyone in the room. She pushed herself out of bed and walked over to Richie. "How are you feeling?"
"Still a little woozy. I'm surprised that I'm still alive." He admitted. He gave her a lopsided grin then said to her playfully, "But I think that spirit transfer worked to well omnipotent one. I feel like playing the flute."
"Spirit transfers? Give me a break I refuse to believe that it's possible for people to exchange souls or even merge them. Come on that's pure fantasy." Flash scoffed.
"I wouldn't be such a skeptic." Batman said calmly. Arra gave him a small smile. She reached inside her coat pocket and retrieved a beautifully hand carved wooden flute with animal designs all over it. "This flute belonged to my first mate Larten. He made it himself. This was one of the few things of him that survived the fire that claimed his life. If you would please play it I would know that you are one hundred percent better."
"This I got to see. No way can this work." Green Lantern said skeptically. His jaw dropped along with everyone else when Richie took the flute and began playing a beautiful melody on it. "Now I've seen everything."
Richie grinned at them and got out of the bed. He suddenly staggered in pain clutching his head. His telepathy was acting up again. Flash retrieved the telepathy halo that everyone had been working on and gave it to him. The instant he put it on everything was fine. His powers were under control. The League then asked the three if they were interested in becoming part time members and they agreed. Arra's clan would also be allowed to join and the Magical Conference would also be allowed.
Arra had just finished changing back into her regular clothes in her private room. She had been updated on the Hippacrities situation and Vivian, Gabriel, and Mark were staying on board a little longer to set things up. Virgil and Richie were waiting for her on the transporter. They had a lot of explaining to do. Straitening up she hid a grin. "You still can't sneak up on me Bruce no matter what I am." She said turning to face the Dark Knight.
"I just wanted to inform you I sent the painting you gave me to my house. It was the most interesting gift I've ever received. You know I was wrong about you. I'm not usually wrong about anyone. But after the unique experience I had with you I won't be so quick to judge people like that." Batman told her.
"That's good to know. Same goes for me to. You do know that your parents are proud of what you do don't you?" Arra asked picking up her duffle. The Batman nodded and then they both walked to the transporter. After saying good-bye one last time they were teleported to Vampire Manor.
The night air was crisp and there was a gentle breeze. Glancing at her watch it was about eight o'clock. The two boys followed as she pounded up the steps and inside the house. "Hello is anyone home?" Arra called out. Suddenly her entire family asking a zillion questions at once and telling her all about their travels surrounded her. From what she gathered it had all been good. "Stop it guys. It great to see you all again really, but could you give me some breathing room? I have a lot to tell you, but it can wait. Where are Victor and Demetra?"
"Right here Arra. We've been worried sick about you. We've haven't been able to reach you all week. What happened?" Demetra asked her concern in her voice.
Arra didn't reply. Instead she flung her arms around both Victor and Demetra and sobbed. "Mom, Dad, I've been beneath Paradise and back. I'll tell you and everyone else about it later, but right now I have to go with Richie and help him tell his parents his secret. I'll be back soon I promise. I love you two."
They arrived at the Foley residence a little while later. Both Virgil's family and Richie's were inside waiting for them. Richie was hesitant about going in but Arra convinced him to go inside. They opened the door and the same thing happened again. Finally Richie made everyone sit down.
It took the better part of two hours to get everything out in the open. There were a lot of interruptions and several times Mr. Foley had to be restrained. But in the end both Richie's parents were glad he told them the truth. Arra was all ready to give up her relationship with Richie, but was surprised that his parents still wanted her around. It seems that her devotion to saving their son and seeing how much in love they where convinced them that they should stay together. Richie was also allowed to continue being Gear as long as he stuck to some new guidelines. Everyone agreed to keep what happened a secret and when asked what they did over their little vacation at school they all smiled and said they had just hung out.
"Things are very different for me now. I am a very different person then I was before all this happened. I still cling to my vampire beliefs and perhaps I always shall. I love being able to turn my powers off and on. It's amazing. The real cool part about my life is that my clan is starting to act like a family. We enjoy helping people out. Being a member of the Justice League has its benefits. I enjoy chatting with Batman whenever I get the chance and I think the others are starting to like me. Vivian and her pack have finally updated the Magical Constitution and the world is a safer and better place because of it. I finally know who I am. I am both Arra Sails teenage girl and Arra Sails the vampiress. I can only hope that will be enough to save this world from its darkest hour. Well that's the end of my story. I have to go now on patrol with my love Gear and his best friend Static Shock!"