The Return of My Sister

Rated: K

The Return of Donna Troy, sans the horrible Trinity break-up. Last chapter: Diana, Donna, and Cassie returned to Earth, welcomed by Martian Manhunter and the Man of Steel. Thanks to Jennifer Larissa for the great beta reading and for all readers for their precious feedbacks. Sorry for my dear readers who want to read the 'Manor Massage' chapter, but I have to delay it for this one. Still, I have that chapter on project, though not in ffnet, coz I can't put it here…

Epilogue: Returning Home

The blinding light slowly reduced to normal, to dim later to reveal a small blue planet and a pale silver planetary object in front of us. The Earth and the Moon. New Cronus had just completed the superluminal travel through a Lorentzian traversable wormhole, returning us all to the Solar System, off the orbit of the Moon, about the same distance between Earth and its natural satellite. Donna Troy, formerly the Titan Goddess of Moon, had chosen to make New Cronus her new mobile home and also headquarter. She alone had navigated the Titan satellite across the universe to arrive in the perimeter of the Earth's orbit.

Standing next to me at the balcony of New Cronus' main observation hall, my sister pointed her finger to the space.

"I think I will park New Cronus next to the Moon."

"The League will be able to take care of it." I agreed, then added an afterthought. "You can watch over the Watchtower as well there."

Indeed, the very unique position of Justice League Watchtower as the ultimate Earth surveillance station had made it prone to alien attack. An additional 'satellite' such as the New Cronus would strengthen the security of the Watchtower, Earth's first frontline against alien invasion.

My sister agreed; her fingers busy typing sequence of orders over a transparent keyboard nearby. "I will have to ask permission to approach the perimeter."

"I will inform J'onn," I offered her my assistance. Didn't even bother to activate my Justice League communicator, I contacted J'onn telepathically.

J'onn?

Diana. The familiar deep soothing sound of Martian Manhunter entered my mind.

I need a little parking space off the Moon.

Anything for our Donna Troy. J'onn's voice clearly transmitted his happiness.

So, Bruce must have had informed the League (or at least Martian Manhunter) already of our victory in Minosyss, and the return of my sister.

The Batman informed me a few hours ago, the last inhabitant of the fourth planet of the Solar System confirmed.

Then I felt that he 'spoke' to someone else. Apparently to Donna, as she suddenly smiled, her already serene face beamed with more happiness. After a while, I almost could see J'onn J'onzz smiling at us as he re-established his telepathy with me.

Thank you, J'onn.

My sincere pleasure, Diana. Will I be seeing you here with Donna?

Yes, but not for long. I checked the time and grimaced. Parking New Cronus might take some times. I have lots delayed business at the Embassy I should attend to. I should beam down to Earth a.s.a.p. It was early morning in New York, three days after my departure to Minosyss, and I did have many things to catch up. Two delayed meetings with the U.N. and arranging an academic visit from some African universities to Themyscira were some of them.

Well, not to worry. Donna will still have some companions at the Moon.

While 'talking' to J'onn, I absent-mindedly glanced over the Moon and the location of the Watchtower, visible from where we stood. A red and blue speck caught my attention. I smiled.

I'm sure she will be just fine, J'onn. Perhaps she actually needed to be alone now.

I could practically see J'onn standing at the Watchtower, nodding in agreement, his calm red Martian eyes looking back at the New Cronus.

I shall be meeting you soon, then.

Sure, J'onn.

Slowly I felt J'onn's presence faded away from my mind. I kept watching at the red and blue figure that was approaching us.

A rustling voice next to me confirmed the presence of my other sister.

"Is that really him?" Cassie Sandsmark, the Wonder Girl, approached the balcony. I'd just left her a while ago before arriving at the Solar System, after a confession session in front of her and Donna about my relationship with Bruce. Cassie had been agape for a while. She might have caught the signals back in Minosyss, but too busy to analyze them. Seemingly, my young charge still could not digest the fact that I dated the World's Greatest Freak – ahem – Detective…

"Mmmhmmm." My eyes darted to Donna.

"He must've felt so bad," Donna said.

"More than you can imagine." Indeed, in addition to Nightwing and Arsenal, this man was affected the most by Donna's death.

My sister tucked a lock of her starry raven hair behind her ear, looking pensive. "It wasn't his fault."

"Still, he felt that way. All these years. That's why he's here so soon now."

She smiled. "A very good man."

I agreed. "A great hero."

"Who has a very cute cousin." This time, it was Cassie's remark, of course. Donna and I both grinned.

"How is Superboy?" Donna asked.

Still looking at the space, Wonder Girl frowned. "Better. At least, I hope he's better."

I looked at her thoughtfully. "He will be better, Cassie. He should be. He's Superman's cousin, for Gaea's sake."

"I know." Cassie shrugged tentatively, then turned to face us. "I just talked to Mom. She's very happy that you're back, Donna, and asked if you can have dinner with us tonight or tomorrow night."

"Sure. Tonight will do," came the reply.

"Anything else she said?" I looked at Cassie in the eye. Because, Helena Sandsmark usually had more things to say. Like about her daughter's school schedule for the day.

Cassie's blue eyes sparkled in irritation. "She told me to go home now and fix my home work." She rolled her eyes heavenwards. "Can you imagine that! Homework! After a great battle in a faraway planet in a faraway galaxy!"

Donna and I both chuckled at that.

"I will ask for your leave of absence from school today," I offered to help Cassie. "But just today. And you use that to rest and do the homework."

"I don't believe I'm listening to this," Wonder Girl shook her head in despair.

"I will come and help you later on," Donna suggested this time.

Cassie exhaled an exasperated sigh. "I s'pose, an attempt of escape is useless?"

"With only one sister, you might," I answered with a grin.

"But with two sisters? No way, José!" Donna finished with another chuckle.

Wonder Girl lifted both hands in despair. But Donna and I knew her too well to realize that she was actually very happy to be with both of us again.

An approaching shadow blocked some of the light reflected from the Earth and the Moon. I returned my attention to the space and gestured.

"Kal, come in!"

xxx

They looked at each other for a while. Each wanted to say everything, but the ambience of the surroundings, not to mention the past, had made it so hard to do so.

"Troia...I..." Kal finally managed to speak.

"Superman...please...don't be –" Donna's blue eyes gazed into the other pair of blue eyes in front of her.

"I'm so...sorry. So sorry for all things..." The Man of Steel trembled, struggling not to shed the years of restrained tears. "I should've made sure that all of them were dismantled properly..."

"Kal-El... please. It wasn't your fault." My sister's voice grew steady.

"Donna..." his baby blue eyes begged for her mercy, but received none in return. For she never blamed him in the first place. So instead, he received an everlasting sympathy.

"Clark." My sister's simple respond was to open her arms and hugged the Last Son of Krypton. Soon, they both melted in a platonic embrace, witnessed by the Earth, the Moon, and the Stars.

xxx

I turned away, feeling inappropriate upon witnessing something very intimate.

Wonder Girl looked at me. "I think we better go somewhere?"

I nodded, failing to control the tears that were running down disobediently on my cheeks. "They...We'll beam down to Earth from the Watchtower. Donna can park New Cronus alone."

"Superman will help." Cassie tugged my hand and walked me away. I stopped to look back at my sister. I still missed her, but I knew well that she and Kal needed more space alone now.

I sighed, not unhappily, and resumed my walking.

After a while inside the main hall, I stopped again, this time gazing at a reddish light, which was suddenly appeared in front of me.

"What the –" Wonder Girl noticed that too.

I let go of Cassie's hand and walked towards the scarlet light.

"Diana, watch out!" Abruptly forming a defense state, Cassandra tried to warn me.

I ignored her, totally attracted to the light. I reached out for it, and the moment my hand touched it, the light dissipated to reveal a red orb.

I blinked. I knew what it was. Lyla's Orb. The prophecy orb, which used to belong to the original Harbinger of the Universe. Lyla had died a few months ago in an attempt to protect Kara Zor-El from Darkseid's furies. Ever since, her red prophecy orb had disappeared. None of our Amazon healers and oracles had been able to locate its location.

I wanted to withdraw my hand, but the orb seemed to glue to my hand. A flux of knowledge entered my mind, and once again, I knew what I had to do.

"Diana? You okay?" Cassandra Sandsmark whispered anxiously.

I blinked again. I withdrew my hand, without difficulties this time.

"Cassie, will you wait here for a while? I have to give this to Donna."

Then I went back to the balcony, didn't even bother to wait for Wonder Girl's response.

xxx

Now I found them holding hands together in silence, her raven hair flowing poetically as his red cape swirling silently. Donna Troy and Clark Kent were never the closest of friends. Clark was more of a friend to me the way Dick Grayson to her. Yet, since a long time ago, they had acknowledged each other's kindness and friendly charms. And now, after all that both of them had gone through, I believed that their friendship would grow even stronger.

I cleared my throat, announcing my presence.

Superman tilted his head. "Diana." His smile was one of the brightest ones I've ever seen in my life.

"Kal." I returned his smile wholeheartedly.

"Diana, Cassie and you are leaving?" Donna inquired.

"Once we're arriving at the Moon, Cassie and I will beam down to Earth. Kal will help you through the rest of the procedures," The Man of Steel nodded. "I have to return Cassie safely to Helena."

"I will see you tonight?"

"Of course. At Helena's, if you prefer to meet her first. Then we go home to New York. To the Embassy."

Home. It felt so good to know that Themyscira House was finally a home, not only for me, but also for my sister.

My sister gestured to the red orb that had been hovering behind me. "What's that?"

"Oh...this?" I raised my hand to touch the orb. Instead, the orb just sailed away from me, approaching Donna.

"I believe that's yours."

After staring at the orb for a while, Donna gingerly touched it. At that moment, the orb shone brightly, transmitting the light to her, making her glowing even more radiant than ever, almost engulfed in the light. So bright, that I (and even Superman) had to shield our eyes from it. Cassie, who just went back to the balcony, halted midway upon seeing it.

Then, the glow disappeared, to let us see Donna Troy again.

She was still my sister. But now, somehow I also understood that she was someone more than that.

She looked at me thoughtfully.

"Yes. This orb is mine."

FIN

Author's Note:

That's it. A mixture of my dream to see Diana actively involved in the return of her sister, plus the usual Bruce-Diana interactions. I'm happy to also (finally) include Superman here, as undoubtedly, providing that the Crisis didn't take place, he would be so glad upon the Return of Donna Troy. Hope you like this story of Donna, even if you don't like the idea of Bruce and Diana pairing, or Roy-Donna pairing for that matter! (I also like Dick-Donna, but Babs' anger is a bit scary to face…). And for those who likes Donna-Dick pairing, please wait for my next non-canonic installment titled 'Wedding: Interrupted', that has a certain Donna Troy-Grayson in it :-)