Hey guys. So, I got a new job and will be moving soon which means I'll be busy. Thus, I am posting this story ahead of schedule so you guys aren't waiting. I can't promise that updates will be consistent just simply due to life and my new job taking up a lot of my time but I will try my best. Thanks for the feedback!

Here is chapter 2!

Savannah, Georgia

She rises with the sun, when the first tendrils of light grace the Earth, glimmering on the water, warming the sand, and calling the roosters to crow. Turning over in the bed, she reaches for him but her hand falls into the cold empty space. The woman sighs, slowly rising to sit in the bed, clutching the blanket to her bare chest.

The door opens, the sounds of long nails and paws prancing on the wooden floor. The woman frowns and looks at the white dire wolf that sits at attention on the floor.

"He told you to wait for me?" the woman asks and the wolf nods in response.

"I'm fine, Krypto." The woman says, grabbing the man's black shirt that was discarded on the bed and slipping it on. "Go get some food."

Krypto whines and lays on the floor, his eyes growing big as he looks at her, begging her to stay. "Alright, come on." The woman says, getting out of the bed, Krypto following her through the small house.

The woman opens the front door to find a man sitting on the steps. His back is bare, each scar etched into his skin, exposed to her. Krypto beings to walk towards the steps, sitting down next to the man, purring as he finally receives scratches behind his ear.

"Just like Ace." The man tells Krypto. "Spoiled."

Krypto rolls his eyes and moves his head, letting the man scratch all the places he wanted. The woman smiles and sits next to the man on the steps, placing a kiss on the man's scarred shoulder. The man's muscles relax slightly, the tension almost leaving his body.

"Did I wake you?" The man asks.

"No." The woman says against his skin. "The bed was cold."

"I'm sorry." The man sighs. "I just couldn't sleep and—"

"It's alright." The woman assures his, gentle hands rubbing his back, feeling each scar from broken bones to knife markings and bullet holes on his skin. "You don't have to explain it."

It's something that he couldn't explain, couldn't gather the words, from his mouth to speak. He thought that after a year of coming back, of training and trying to gather pieces of his past for a chance at a future, the demons slipped into his reality, and his mind fractured.

"Talia said it doesn't go away, not really," Jason says. "You'd think the scars were a reminder but sometimes I-I see it all over again."

"Will you go back?" The woman asks, worry slipping into her words. She knew it was best for Jason, to be around those who had the same experience, and gain knowledge from them that she couldn't offer.

"The little runt takes up most of her time," Jason smirks, thinking about the little boy who cried and flailed in his arms. "But if I go back to fighting-to Gotham, then I need to be ready, and she has the answers."

"You do what you must." The woman says, kissing his shoulder once more, her long blonde hair tickling his skin. "I'll be here."

Washinton DC

"That's not how that happened." Grace scoffs, gently pushing Steve off the sidewalk.

"Oh, come on." Steve teases, falling back into step with Grace. "You told Waller that you thought I was a danger in the field. Bet you wanted me all to yourself."

"Oh, 'cause you're such a catch," Grace says sarcasm drenching her words.

"Aye, I caught you," Steve says fake casting out a fishing line and reeling in Grace who rolls her eyes. The couple laugh as Steve wraps his arm around Grace, the two getting lost in their conversation as they walk through downtown DC.

Tonight, was their date night and it was a source of normalcy for them. Their job had taken so much of their attention and drained them once they were off the clock. So, they took a day off, one Friday of every month for them to relax.

"So, let's say we get that pizza to go and end the night early," Steve whispers in Grace's ear which has the girl blushing from ear to ear.

"You are insufferable St—"

"AHH!"

A cry rings out in the night. Steve is quick, grabbing his gun and sprinting off, telling Grace to stay put. A cluster of people run away from the sound as Steve runs towards it, his gun in his hands and held to his side.

"Argus!" Steve shouts. "Put your—"

Steve stops speaking as a Parademon holds a woman in its hands. Steve doesn't shoot, not wanting to injure the woman but all that fades as the demon flings the woman towards Steve. The two roll around on the ground and when Steve lands on top of the woman, he is met with lifeless eyes. Fury erupts in Steve's chest as he gets up, shooting at the demon, causing no damage. It's then that more Parademons emerge, causing havoc, and slaughtering civilians. Backup arrives quickly, police taking people to safety while agents from Argus aid him.

Another scream takes Steve's attention, a Parademon on top of Grace. Steve sprints over to her, shooting at the demon, trying to take its attention away from Grace. There is a flash of red and the demon howls, backing up and then turning its attention to Steve.

It's then that Grace sweeps her leg, catching the Demon off guard and falling to the ground. Trevor empties his gun into the demon until it stops moving.

"Are you alright?" Steve asks, panting as he touches Grace's face, checking to make sure there are no wounds and that she's still breathing.
"Yes, I'm—"

"Let me look and I-"

"Steve," Grace says, pushing his hands away, trying to calm him down. "STEVE!"

Steve looks at Grace, his hands cupping her face, fingers brushing those rosy cheeks. "How'd you—" Steve ponders for a second, trying to gather his words. "There was a flash-your eyes were red."

"No, they weren't," Grace says sternly. "Steve, a lot was going on, it may have been the light but."

"No," Steve says letting go of Grace and shaking his head. "I saw it-or-or something but I—"

"Shhhh," Grace says, walking towards Steve and now cupping his face in her hands. "It was a Demon, Steve. My eyes are blue, they've always been blue, right?"

Steve looks at Grace and then at the Demon on the ground. He's known their eyes to be red, henchmen of Darkseid. His worst fear had come to life, that he was going to lose Grace and worse, that Darkseid was behind it.

Maybe his mind was playing a game on him. Yes, it was a trick of the light, a reflection of some sorts, and the added stress of it all.

"Yeah." Steve mumbles. "Blue. They're blue."

"Yes, and I'm right here." Grace nods, leading Steve to nod as well and look at her. "I'm alright."

Steve nods and lets Grace talk him down. Steve wasn't making any sense, he was under so much stress, he was known to hallucinate at one point. There was no way that Grace, an Agent at Argus, a psychiatrist, and the woman he loves has red eyes. No, Grace Khan was normal, like him or so he tricked himself into believing.

Star City

"Next round is on me!" Hal shouts as he stands on the bar, a bottle of vodka in one hand and whiskey in the other. The crowd shouts in unison and Hal pours both drinks into his mouth.

Jessica looks at Hal, rolling her eyes and taking a sip of her water. "At least someone is having fun."

"He's hurting too, Jess," Barry says, taking a drink of his coke. "It's a big loss, don't know how you're supposed to take something like that."

Jessica shrugs, taking another sip of water. They'd been at the bar for a few hours now, Hal drinking and flirting with anything that has a pulse. Jessica wanted to stay in, watch a movie and catch up on reading but Hal had flown to her house and told her that they needed to get their mind off Oa.

"He's drunk out of his mind." Jessica sighs.

"He's human." Barry reminds Jessica. "Last time I checked that wasn't a weakness."

"Well, you haven't met Oa." Jessica groans.

Oa had an issue with humans but so did most of the known planets. Humans were seen as weak, senseless, emotional, and barely even worth a penny in the intergalactic slave market. Many members of Oa wanted to exclude humans from becoming Lanterns, but when a ring chose a wielder, it was hard to debate. But when a Lantern messed up, specifically a Human Lantern, Oa was relentless in their pursuit of justice or injustice in Jessica's eyes.

But she could not blame Oa for this decision, it was her fault, the reason they were in this mess. Though it was tempting to drown herself in booze and women like Hal, Jessica wanted to hide. She was shocked that Hal wanted to see her face, not after meeting with Oa, watching them strip Hal of everything that made him a Lantern.

"Still I—"

The wall of the bar caves in as Parademons fly in. Barry and Jessica jump into action while Hal, Hal does the best he can without his powers.

The Hall of Justice

"ARGUS asks that each hero pair up." Amanda Waller says from the monitor, looking at the members of the Justice League. "Within the coming days, we expect incidents with Parademons to rise and thus the return of Darkseid."

"What are you guys doing to prepare?" Shazam asks. "It took you guys forever to make it to Jump City, and we—"

"Argus is actively working with local police departments along with Federal Agents, Shazam," Trevor says pointedly. "We expected arrival time to be within three to five minutes."

"Right." Green Arrow scoffs, as he cleans his arrows.

"Last time we went against Darkseid was difficult." The Flash reminds Trevor. "I know we're supposed to be Earth's Mightiest Heroes, but we aren't exactly equipped to fight him."

"I don't get what you're saying, The Flash," Waller says.

No one wanted to talk about it, it wasn't a topic of conversation for five years. But with the resurgence of Parademons and no doubt Darkseid on his way, they couldn't ignore it anymore. One reason or rather two reasons why they defeated Darkseid in the past was because of their former teammates. Not to mention they're down a Green Lantern as of three weeks ago.

"We won because of Superman and Wonder Woman," Cyborg says rather blankly. "Since they aren't here it's kind of—"

"Do you believe yourselves to be weak without them?" Waller asks.

"No." John Stewart interrupts. "But we sure as hell are knocked down a few pegs."

"The fate of the world is not decided by two former entities that lost control and rather than seek to defend it, almost destroyed it." Waller says blankly. "Should these members return or have contact with any member of the Justice League, I am to be informed. They are no longer members, nor are they trusted by the US government or any other jurisdiction for that matter."

With those final words, the screen goes black. The members of the league let out. A breath, one they've been holding in since they were summoned to meet. It was rare that they met in the Hall, the building holding memories of their former partners in every corner.

"I'm all for winning against Darkseid but we have to admit that without those two we're—"

"Dead," Shazam says, cutting off The Flash.

"Not my choice of words." The Flash corrects.

"Lanterns, have you had any activity outside of Earth?" Batman asks.

"No." Jessica Cruz replies.

"Oa hasn't exactly been forthcoming and any lead we did have is gone." John Stewart says.

"What about those girls?" Hawkgirl asks, turning on the monitor and showing the victims. "We know that they don't have a mind of their own, they couldn't have profiled all their victims."

"And they're leaving victims instead of taking them," Barry says.

"Wait," Jessica says, getting up from her seat and walking toward the screen. "Who do they all look like?"

It's as if this simple detail had been discarded. No one was smart enough to go after Diana, but Darkseid wasn't just anyone. He had taken Kal-El once, making him a weapon to use in his armies. The only other being to rival Superman is Wonder Woman.

"Wait, he's doing all this for Wondy?" Shazam questions. "Are we even sure she's on Earth?"

"Her people are here; I doubt she'd leave," Aquaman says. "Amazons are selfish, but they are loyal to their own. Wonder Woman is on Earth."

"Well, if he wants Wonder Woman, he'll most likely take Superman as well which means—"

"We find them first." Martian Manhunter says. "But no one knows where Themyscira is, and Superman could be off-world."

"But then we report them to Waller." Cyborg reminds the team. "Waller could say no."

"It's a chance we'll take," Batman says.

"Where do we start?" John Stewart asks, and everyone turns to look at Batman.

"I have a few leads for Superman," Batman informs the team. "As for Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Jessica and Batgirl will go to Themyscira."

Crop Farm, Solomon Islands

He picks the barrels of corn, throwing them into the wooden crate. He works faster than most workers, thus yielding more pay for his family, not that they needed it. However, it was good for business which meant that he'd be employed longer and thus the life they created here could last.

"Alright, boys, last call for the day!" The head farmer says, walking past Kal and patting him on the back.

Kal carries two crates on his shoulder, standing tall amongst the men beside him. When Kal thought of living remotely, he did think he'd be a farmer. But there was something so calming about the work, going back to his roots, living a very mundane life. Kal also needed to keep a low profile, work a job with normal hours, room for growth, and enough days off to sustain family life.

Kal and the rest of the men load the crops into the truck. Once finished, they walk into the locker room, changing out of their clothes and saying their goodbyes. Kal quickly walks to his manager's office reminding him of the month-long break.

"You convinced the Mrs, huh?" Blake says, marking his calendar.

"Not the Mrs. yet." Kal corrects Blake. "But after the trip, I'm hoping we get one step closer."

"Ahh, nothing if not a man with a plan." Blake grins. "I'll have Putt fill in for you, you deserve the break, you are taking the kids?"

"Yep," Kal replies. "Kinda hard to sell that one to her but I've got family back in the states so they're coming too."

"Well, then," Blake says looking up at Kal. "Enjoy your holiday."

Kal smiles and leaves the office, Blake watches, his eyes glowing blue as he watches Kal leave. Blake then looks at the calendar and puts a pin on today's date. "Good luck, Son."

As Kal walks towards his pickup truck, he throws his work bag into the back. He then pauses, turning to look at the man standing behind him.

"Wondered when you'd show up." Kal sighs, glaring at the man.

"Can't check up on a friend?" Bruce shrugs.

"We were more than friends, Bruce," Kal says, reminding Bruce of how close they'd grown during their crime-fighting days and how cold Bruce was after the incident.

"I want to talk."

"Of course, you do," Kal says, opening the driver's side door and getting inside. "Hop in before I leave your ass."

Bruce gets in and Kal drives them to a local restaurant. He wouldn't dare take Bruce to his home, not with Diana and their children. If Bruce could plan to kill him and Diana, no doubt he'd figure out one for his children.

They arrive at the restaurant and grab a booth. Kal orders the usual while Bruce just gets a black coffee. They sit there silently for a moment, taking each other in. Kal hasn't aged a day while Bruce, well that frown line was growing.

"Coffee's good."

"It's local."

Bruce nods and takes another sip. Bruce didn't think they'd have a great conversation, fall back into the brotherly banter. No, they were cold to each other, a wall between the two, and neither wanted to be the first to find a way around it.

"It was hard to find you."

"Yeah, that tracker had you in the Amazon for a while." Kal chuckles, taking a bite of fish. "Still couldn't trust me to stay away. Then again, you don't trust anyone."

"We know I've got trust issues but—"

"Amongst other things."

"Look, Clark," Bruce says blankly. "I didn't come here to argue with you."

"Of course not, Bruce," Kal says coldly. "Now, give me one good reason why I shouldn't throw you out of this restaurant."

"Darkseid," Bruce says. "He's back."

Bruce watches as the color drains from Clark's face. Bruce remembered how hard it was for Clark to face Darkseid the first time, to be controlled by him. Now, the threat of the same fate looms over them.

"How?" Clark asks.

"We never killed him, just injured him." Bruce reminds Clark. "I guess his plan is the same except…"

"Except for?"

"He wants Diana," Bruce says and Clark raises an eyebrow at Bruce.

"How'd you come to that conclusion?" Clark asks, masking his worry for his girlfriend and children. "He doesn't know about Amazon's and—"

"Well, they have a Mother Box, I doubt Darkseid isn't aware of their existence and Diana's strength only rivals yours it's not like…"

Kal's mind trails off, running into his own thoughts, trying to sort them. When Darkseid had taken him, even though it was only for three days, it felt like Kal had lived and died a hundred times. His skin burned while his mind was foggy, his body drained of control. All Kal could think of, all Kal could do is work for Darkseid. It's the same experience Kara had told him, when Darkseid had taken her as well, making them part of his army.

Not only was Kara at risk of Darkseid's return but their kids. No doubt, they are the most powerful beings in the Universe. If Darkseid found out about them, took, the, tried to hurt them in any way, Kal—he'd become a man he didn't know.

"Clark," Bruce calls, slightly bringing Clark back to himself. "Do you know where she is?"

"What?"

"Diana," Bruce repeats. "Do you know where Diana is?"

"She's safe," Clark says and Bruce nods slowly.

Bruce figured that the two had kept in contact, they were dating after all and disappeared around the same time. Bruce deduced Diana to be nearby, maybe on another island or sharing the same bed as him.

At one point in time that would have annoyed Bruce, but it didn't matter now. He had no say in their personal lives and it took him a while to learn that fact. Because even though the world looked at them as Gods among men, they were in the end, human.

"The league is waiting for you," Bruce says, getting up from the table. "A lot has changed, and your presence will be received, though not positively but received nonetheless."

Clark doesn't say anything, getting up from the booth and sliding his coat on.

"For what it's worth, Clark," Bruce says softly. "I'm sorry."

I was gonna have Bruce not know where Superman is but it didn't feel right. Superman is such a "weapon" to and for the world that Bruce wouldn't take him off his radar. However, I think Bruce always wants his friends or co-workers to have some part of normalcy and he gives that to Superman.

Also, I know people don't like Bruce and Talia together and I get so much hate for that pairing but they're Endgame in this fic. If you don't like it, I suggest you stop reading. I won't spend time defending my decisions. If you know me and my work by now then you know I have the most unlikely of pairs.

Thank you for reading!