Showdown, Part 2
- - - December 11th - - -
"Alivio." It was Robin who whispered the magic word into her ear, ever faithful to his promise.
A small orange cat sat at Mary's feet, looking up at her curiously.
"Is that Teekl?"
"It used to be", Robin confirmed. "Doctor Fate purged it. Now it's just a cat."
"And the Witch Boy?"
"Petrified and teleported to the astral plane. We're safe now."
Heaving a great sigh of relief, she turned towards the other teens in her care. They had gathered around Doctor Fate near the hangar doors, amidst a wreckage of uprooted trees, scattered food, toys and cutlery. Wolf, back to his old size, sniffed at Nabu's feet.
"Who got hurt?"
"Kaldur broke his arm, Artemis got some nasty scratches, Tanna's hands were burnt, and Wally has a black eye from some tree branch. Megan passed out earlier, but she's just woken up again."
"And you?"
"Just a few bruises."
She raised an eyebrow.
"Okay, quite a lot of bruises."
"We'll get all of you to the medbay as soon as Conner and Megan are done talking to Doctor Fate", Mary decided.
Robin tilted his head. "I don't think it's Nabu they're talking to…"
'Co-nah!', Match exclaimed cheerfully.
'Greetings, brother', Conner replied warmly.
The Kryptonian's mental image looked well today – still pale, but more vital and attentive than during their previous encounters.
'You did good work here today', Conner praised his brother. With Megan's telepathic help, he offered the older clone a direct insight into his own emotions, sharing his joy and his gratefulness.
The Kryptonian beamed. 'We win!', he stated happily, recalling the Chaos Mage's petrification. One of the scraps of his mental fabric filled in the scene like a painted canvas.
Match's mind was still fractured, yet since he'd been liberated from Cadmus' cruel compulsions, his mental fragments were allowed to float freely. Bits and pieces drifted in and out of focus, orbiting the core of his mind in unpredictable pathways. Sometimes it almost seemed to Conner as if he could a sense a pattern in their dance.
Another mental painting flittered closer, displaying the Witch Boy's futile hell-fire attack.
'Hot', the Kryptonian remembered with a sudden frown. Without further warning, his eyes lit up red, and the unwelcome memory was scorched by his heat rays.
The blackened piece of fabric fluttered out of view.
'But we won', Conner repeated, forcing himself to stay calm, to speak softly. 'You did well. You defeated the Witch Boy with magic.'
His brother nodded, another floating memory displaying the yellow glow of Nabu's spell.
'Sea magic', he said. A group of Atlanteans appeared on a different canvas. 'Magic skin lines.'
He pointed at his clothed chest, suddenly frowning. 'Outside skin', he tried to explain, sounding irritated once more.
'I understand', Conner quickly reassured him.
'You look?', his brother pleaded.
'You want me to see your skin lines?'
The other nodded eagerly. 'See!'
Through his brother's ears, Conner could hear Megan address Nabu. "Excuse me, Sir, but I believe your host would like to make a request…"
"I know", Nabu sighed. "I can hear them. We do share one mind."
Kaldur's eyes were drawn away from the Lord of Order when he noticed Mary and Robin approach.
Mary's face was smeared with black sooth. She was still wrapped in Doctor Fate's golden cape, since most of her blouse had been reduced to ashes during her bold stand against the Witch Boy's fire.
"Looks good", Superboy noted.
Kaldur's head whipped around. Only belatedly did he realize that his team mate was not looking at Mary, but at the Lord of Order who had presently revealed his new host's chest.
The Kryptonian's pale skin was covered in an intricate pattern of bright blue lines. Kaldur knew that it had taken the old masters at Poseidonis days to engrave all these marking with Kryptonite-tipped needles. Together, the interwoven twirls and flourishes outlined a familiar emblem.
Superman's symbol, expressed as a seedling's tattoo.
"How much arcane power can this store?", he asked curiously.
"Not enough yet. The simple portal spell I cast to banish Klarion into the astral plane drained almost a quarter of the thaumatic energy our allies provided."
"That's still more magic than I can wield yet", Tanna clarified. "Portal spells aren't too hard in general, but I've never been able to open one to another dimension."
Kaldur just shrugged impassively. All students at the Conservatory of Poseidonis were used to donating their arcane energies. Most of them paid their rent by charging crystals after class, for household appliances like floodlights or bubble boilers. Nabu would have no trouble to re-seed his markings regularly.
"Match has agreed to extend the patterns further", the Lord of Order added. "For some reason, he is rather fond of these symbols."
"Of course he is", Conner agreed, ignoring the sceptical looks he received from their other team mates. "Still, we shouldn't call him Match. That's what Cadmus called him. He deserves his own name."
Nabu nodded thoughtfully. "It is true, he does not identify himself with his current appellation..."
His brother rushed at him excitedly when Megan guided Conner back into his mind.
'Own name?'
'Yes. You can choose one. I was once called Project Kr, but I chose the name Conner instead. Do you know what you would like to be called?'
The Kryptonian frowned, shaking his head.
'The team has made a few suggestions. You could be Nick, Rincewind, Mark, Jakob, Colin, Edward, Daniel…'
'Co-lin', the other repeated eagerly, his face lighting up into a broad smile.
'Good choice.' Conner stepped closer, extending his hand for a handshake. 'Greetings, Colin.'
Still grinning widely, his brother slapped his back instead, landing a blow that could have reduced a human's bones to pulp.
Pushing himself off the mental floor, Conner sighed deeply.
'One step at a time…'
"Vandal Savage simply fell unconscious in the middle of New York", Captain Atom confirmed Batman's suspicion. "I've been guarding him ever since."
"Same with Ra's al Ghul", John replied from Las Vegas. "He just dropped to the floor, a few moments before we received word from Nabu about Klarion's banishment."
"We must assume that the Witch Boy possessed Savage and al Ghul in the same manner as Green Arrow and Black Canary", Diana summarized. "They have not yet regained consciousness either."
Batman and his Amazon princess were guarding their enthralled team mates at the infirmary inside the Hall of Justice, well hidden from the public's eyes.
As he had expected, the Battle of Mount Justice had been long over before their green bubble reached the ground. He had not dared to hope for the outcome the team had reported.
Not a single causality. His kids had done impeccably well.
"What's the status at Belle Reve?", the Dark Knight inquired though his communicator. The other League mates had joined Clark to assist him in gathering up the penitentiary's super-powered escapees.
"Most inmates have been recaptured now", Superman reported dutifully. "The Flash and Captain Marvel are still rounding up the last few of their customary villains, but it seems like only the Riddler has managed to escape for good. We suspect that the penitentiary's warden might have facilitated the outbreak."
Batman nodded grimly. "That psychiatrist? He could be an agent of the Light."
"We knew that Ra's al Ghul was a member", J'onn joined the discussion. "Is would not surprise me if Vandal Savage was part of that organisation as well. Maybe Klarion was the leader of the Light, compelling the others to do his bidding?"
"If it he used a magic spell on them, it should have dissipated when Klarion was defeated", Aquaman stated soberly. "Why did nobody wake up?"
Batman and Diana traded a concerned look.
"It wasn't a spell alone", Zatara whispered from the infirmary bed behind them.
Quickly switching off their comm line, Diana rushed to the magician's side. Their friend's face still looked ashen, yet his eyes were alert, scrutinizing his two gagged and bound League mates on the hospital beds beside them.
"How do you feel?"
"Quite terrible, actually. What happened?"
"You were stabbed with a mythical black blade. Klarion called it a Chaos Dagger."
"Those still exist? I thought the last one was used centuries ago…" The enchanter coughed hoarsely.
Diana quickly handed him a glass of water. "Is it dangerous?"
"It's concentrated chaos", her patient sputtered. "Of course it is dangerous. To a man ruled by order, its corruption would have been lethal instantly."
The Amazon's eyes widened. "Are you in danger now?"
"Me, without that helmet?" A dry chuckle escaped Zatara's pale lips. "I'm a single dad, I work in the show business, volunteering for a club of superheroes on the side, while raising a teenage daughter with magical powers. I do think I can handle a bit of chaos."
Batman nodded approvingly at the magician's candour.
"What about that spell on Black Canary and Green Arrow?", Diana inquired more seriously.
Zatara returned his attention to their unconscious League mates. "If Klarion possessed them, as you said, then he didn't use a normal spell or ritual. The magic signature on them is similar to that of the plant creatures we fought two months ago, those remote-controlled nano-bio-sorcery mutations. The prototype version of the aggregate."
"Then the refined aggregate must be a mind control device, compelling them to do his bidding", Batman concluded.
Reflecting on some of the team's recent missions, that really shouldn't come as a surprise. Their enemies had clearly been meddling with all kinds of enthralments and compulsions.
"What does it look like?", Diana asked. "Is it some kind of command station, like that glowing antenna plant that Poison Ivy used to control the others? How do we destroy it?"
Zatara shook his head weakly. "The signatures originate inside them. Something they ingested, perhaps. It has spread through their body."
"How do we get rid of it?", Batman demanded to know.
The mage shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea."
Re-activating his communicator, Batman brusquely relayed their new findings to the others.
"Does anyone have a solution?"
Next to him, his princess suddenly paled.
"Compelling solutions", she echoed.
"What do you mean, Diana?" Superman inquired through their comm link.
"I know who can wake up Green Arrow and Black Canary. He practically offered us his help already. But you won't like it."
"Who is it?", Superman insisted.
Batman met his princess' eyes, sharing her apprehension.
"Lex Luthor", he growled.
"I'd never thought you'd ever hear me say this", Wally proclaimed theatrically, "but I don't want to see another marshmallow in my life!"
Mary joined in with the team's laughter. They had all crammed into the medbay, helping to clean and bandage each others' wounds.
"Next time I see a kid dressed up as a ghost on Halloween", Tanna added, pointing at one of the few remaining bed sheets, "I think I might scream."
Mary finished fastening a memory foam cast across Kaldur's arm and elbow. "Try not to jostle this too much for a few days. And no blocking falling tree branches for at least a few weeks!"
The Atlantean grinned back ruefully. "I shall strive to dodge them next time."
"I can't believe I'm asking this before Wally does", Megan spoke up, "but is there any food left?"
"Wally only hasn't asked first because he already finished our entire supply of snack bars before Nabu and Match flew off", Artemis snickered.
"Nabu and Colin", Conner corrected her.
"Since most of our food and kitchenware ended up scattered all across the mountain side", Mary noted drily, "I took the liberty of ordering us pizza for lunch."
"We can't order delivery to our secret headquarter!", Robin protested.
Right on cue, a clap of thunder announced the arrival of her courier.
A ten-year-old boy with tussled black hair stepped into the medbay, balancing a pile of pizza boxes in his arms.
"So, the League is getting all worked up about negotiating with Luthor now, and everyone is still freaked out about that mind control thing, and I just spent an hour recapturing Black Adam, and it's been a really long day even though it's just noon yet, and Mary said it's cool, so would you mind if I just hung out with you guys for a while?"
Billy Batson held out the food like a tribute offering.
"Dude, your wicked water bomb technique saved my life today!" Wally exclaimed, sliding even closer to Artemis to free up some space on their stretcher. "Sit down, buddy, you've got to hear what Robin did to our skateboards!"
Smiling fondly at the recovering teens, Mary slid out of the medbay's door silently.
There was still much work to do.
"In short, the Chaos Mage has been defeated, the team survived, but Green Arrow and Black Canary are still controlled by that aggregate, and Lex Luthor seems to be the only one who has an antidote", Red Arrow summarized Aqualad's report. "We really missed one hell of a morning."
Roy glowered. "That's messed up. Luthor is not simply gonna hand it over, right?"
"He might", the older clone cautioned. "That would be the worst scenario, actually. He wants the League in his debt. He might even make a public gesture out of it."
"In his debt?", Roy snapped. "He owes us! He abducted me, he brain-washed you, he let his goons cut off my arm!"
"Which is recovering exceedingly well", the android doctor noted. They were still occupying his private office at the Fawcett City Clinic. "Quite an extraordinary technology, this nucleic engineering."
Meeting both of their glares, Doctor Lockhart raised his hands in an appeasing gesture. "Don't mind me, please. Go on."
"The thing is, we're not going to tell any of that to the public, right?", Will pointed out. "I'm sure you don't want to be a media showcase, and neither do I."
"We don't want the public to know that Green Arrow was mind-controlled, either", Roy growled, suddenly feeling rather defensive about his mentor. They might not be on speaking terms right now, but he still took the Witch Boy's blunt assault on the archer as a personal affront.
"I strongly oppose of mind control myself", the doctor commented casually.
"All of this mess is my fault", Red Arrow admitted grimly. "He must have been ambushed on the way back from one of his work meetings – the Light knew his civilian identity from me."
"We don't know if they attacked him or Black Canary first. She's never had a secret identity."
Will waved off that futile question. "In any case, we've got to get that antidote from Luthor, before he talks the League into making any deals with him."
"Obviously. But do you think you can take out Luthor's bodyguard?"
"It'll be a close call, if I'm on my own. I've seen her in action. Mercy Graves is tough, and that cybernetic arm of hers is lethal."
Roy glanced down at the container still enshrining his own right arm.
"Don't even think about it", the doctor warned darkly.
"You are in no condition to fight yet", Will agreed.
Roy sighed. "You'll need backup, though", he insisted.
"If we want to avoid any diplomatic hassles with Luthor, we can't call in anyone from the League or from the team", Will pointed out. "We're the only neutral party here."
"Well, about that… ", Jim Lockhart mused, smiling nostalgically.
"Recognized – Red Tornado – 16."
The red android stepped out into the Hall of Justice, silently appreciating the sense of air surrounding him again. Up at the evacuated space station, he had felt rather out of his element.
It was late afternoon, he and Hal Jordan had already completed most of the Watchtower's repairs. The backup Zeta station was installed, all propulsion systems restored, only the air lock controls still required an upgrade to their failsafe mechanisms. In order to finish their work today, the Green Lantern had asked Tornado to fetch a few additional supplies.
Surely Hal would appreciate a first-hand report on the health of their League mates as well…
Only Batman looked up when Red Tornado entered the Hall of Justice's infirmary. The rest of the League was too focussed on Red Arrow, who leaned casually against Green Arrow's bed in the centre of the room.
"And he just handed this over?" Superman asked the red-haired archer with an incredulous expression.
"Well, he tried to send me off with just a sample at first, but I did insist on him writing down the full recipe as well."
"You expect us to believe that you simply walked into Lex Luthor's office at Metropolis, demanding the aggregate's antidote from him?", Diana repeated. "And that nobody shot you?"
"I might have entered through a sky light, actually. And I wasn't entirely alone."
A quick probability calculation led Red Tornado to the obvious conclusion. "His bodyguards experienced a sudden dizziness and fainted?", he predicted.
While his fellow League mates looked puzzled, the archer's smug smile confirmed his theory. "At a research facility as large LexCorps, nobody notices another man in a white lab coat."
Red Tornado nodded silently.
Nobody had ever truly appreciated the extent of his brother's water-bending powers. Approximately 60% of the human body was made of water, after all.
And he still hadn't removed John Smith's Zeta designation…
At the top floor of his LexCorps tower, Lex Luthor rubbed his smarting chin, still trying to calm his nerves. Watching his faithful Mercy drop limply to the floor had been a rather sobering experience.
How had that clone boy done it?
He supposed he had gotten away lightly, with nothing but a lost bargaining chip and a badly bruised jaw…
J'onn and Batman were the last mentors to arrive at the cave that evening. Superman and Aquaman had claimed a couch across from Superboy, Aqualad and Robin in the open lounge area, while the Flash and Wally were clamouring around in the kitchen with Mary, Megan and Artemis. For some reason, Captain Marvel was present as well, sitting on a stool near the counter and scratching Wolf behind his ears. The atmosphere was almost cheerful – the joy after the storm.
"Let's debrief here in the common area", Bruce proposed, uncommonly lenient.
A few minutes later, everyone had either pulled up a chair or piled onto the couches. Mary distributed biscuits, tea and coffee among the assembly. To J'onn's delight, she handed him a plate of chocolate cream cookies without him even having to ask.
Batman formally opened the meeting by setting down his coffee mug on a small side table.
Everyone fell silent immediately.
"We have already received your report from the Battle of Mount Justice", Batman began. "Meanwhile, you have already heard of the attack on the Watchtower this morning. You know that Green Arrow and Black Canary are still incapacitated, but are currently being treated at the Hall of Justice's infirmary with the recently acquired antidote against the aggregate. Both former Speedys are with them. Zatara is slowly recovering from the injury he sustained this morning, his daughter has therefore also chosen to remain by his side. I expect you to share the results of this meeting with Zatanna later."
The teens nodded.
"What you do not know yet is that both Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul were apprehended by the League today. They, too, had been affected by the aggregate, and we have administered the antidote to them first. They have both fully recovered, and are still in our custody. Their testimonies strongly suggest that the Light originally intended to use the aggregate on all members of the Justice League. It is likely that Red Arrow was intended as their mode of deliverance. However, their plans were delayed by several of your missions, to the point where Klarion the Witch Boy lost his patience and betrayed the others, in order to pursue his personal vengeance against the Lord of Order Nabu, alias Doctor Fate.
This morning, Klarion mind-controlled two League members to assault the Watchtower, unaware that Zatara had passed on the Helmet of Fate to the Kryptonian formerly known as Project Match, now Colin. When he failed to gain control of the artefact, Klarion attacked you here instead. Yet you held him off, distracted him, kept him occupied long enough for Doctor Fate to arrive. A great threat has been averted today."
Batman met each of the young heroes' eyes.
"Well done."
J'onn could feel the pride and joy radiating from the teens, as well as their respective mentors. Robin beamed widely, nearly bursting with delight about such a rare compliment from Bruce. Aquaman inclined his head to his protégé, who immediately responded with a deep Atlantean bow of his own. The Flash pulled Kid Flash and Artemis both into a bone-crushing hug. Even Superman was clasping Conner's shoulder proudly. J'onn simply shared his mind with his niece.
"You worked together today", Batman continued. "I have reviewed your reports, and the surviving video footage from our security systems, and this has been evident throughout the fight. You complemented each other, compensating each other's weaknesses and building on each other's strengths. Aqualad led you well, but you also strengthened his orders with your input and insights where possible, or obeyed them without hesitation when needed, each of you taking responsibility for the group as a whole.
Five months ago, this squad was little more than an assembly of individuals, each focussed on their own skills or powers. Today, you proved that you have become a team."
He gave them a few seconds to bask in the glow.
"However… There is much room for improvement. You relied too heavily on individual components of your plans today, and risked your most valuable assets far too deliberately. If Zatanna had been knocked out in the beginning of this fight, you would have lost. Errors were made, opportunities missed, dangers overlooked. There are many lessons still to be learned from today's encounter. We will revisit them one by one in the upcoming weeks. Training will resume on Tuesday."
"Understood", Aqualad replied courtly. The other teens nodded once more.
"For today...", Batman carried on, and J'onn could feel the others' high spirits suddenly dampening. "Remember that, despite the Witch Boy's attack, this is still a secret headquarter. According to your reports, half of your household has been scattered outside, you dotted the mountain with paint and goo, and a number of trees have been uprooted. We must not compromise the concealment of this cave."
"You want us to clean that up tonight?", the Flash groaned. Of course the adults would help, but still…
"With all due respect, sir, that might not be necessary", Mary intervened politely. "There is only one public path leading up to this mountain, and I have taken the liberty of closing it off with red tape and a sign claiming maintenance works in progress. Captain Marvel has already kindly re-erected the fallen trees for us. I've also spent most of the afternoon collecting any overly conspicuous debris or ruined bed sheets that might have been visible from the open bay, and gathered up most items that were laying in the direct vicinity of the cave's hidden entrances. Since it is already getting dark out, I believe that it would be be more efficient to pick up up the rest of the scattered cutlery and equipment tomorrow."
The team and their mentors simply stared at the young British woman, all equally surprised.
"You did all that?", Megan exclaimed.
"I didn't even notice that you'd left the cave!", Artemis added.
"A good servant's work is rarely noticed", Batman muttered in a low voice, before adding more audibly: "I expect the team to erase all traces of today's battle first thing tomorrow morning."
While the teens cheered, J'onn kept watching Mary, who calmly collected the emptied cups. Only a faint smile betrayed her deep contentment.
'We could really use someone like her at the Watchtower, too', he told Batman silently.
The other shook his head. 'You'd be hard-pressed to find someone else like her', he replied. 'After all, she's Alfred's apprentice.'
"Have they regained consciousness yet?", Zatara asked impatiently
Tanna softly closed the door behind her. "Yes, Green Arrow and Black Canary have finally woken up. They seem to be recovering quickly, but they don't remember anything that happened since yesterday evening."
Exhaling audibly, Zatara sank back against his pillows. Tanna noticed that he still had not touched his dinner tray at all.
The League had meant to do him a favour when they moved him to a private room at their infirmary. They had clearly underestimated his boundless ability to worry.
Tanna returned to her seat beside her father's bed.
"Will you rest now?", she asked softly.
"I should." Zatara closed his eyes only briefly. "This has been a momentous day, hasn't it?"
"The day the Lord of Chaos Klarion was vanquished?"
"He has not been the only Lord of Chaos who ever walked this Earth", her father reminded her. "Yet I cannot recall a single legend stating that one of them was ever banished without causalities."
She moved closer, taking his pale hand. He grasped hers firmly.
"We all survived", she murmured. It was miraculous, really.
"Cuare mio, I am almost glad that I fell unconscious before I knew about your battle. It would have killed me to imagine what dangers you faced today."
"I was worried about you too, dad."
"You and your team fought an ageless Lord of Chaos…"
"We all survived", she repeated, more gently now. "A few scratches and bruises, one broken arm. All of that will heal."
Unlike the taint within her father's blood. They both glanced down at their clasped hands, at the darkness of his veins beneath his wrist.
"How bad is it, dad?"
She had not meant to ask him now, had tried for hours to deter that fateful question. Yet there was no use in delaying it further. Neither of them would sleep tonight, before they knew the truth.
Zatara closed his eyes once more, focussing his powers. "Rewolfnus", he chanted softly.
Instead of a sunflower, a dozen lightning bugs manifested above his bedside table.
"Rewolfnus", he repeated the incantation. "Rewolfnus."
This time, a feeble nightshade plant sprouted from his discarded dinner tray, and a spinning metal weathercock appeared at the top of his bedside lamp.
She squeezed his hand.
"I'd better stop, before I summon a windhound, or a raintree instead", he mumbled.
For a long moment, father and daughter sat together in silence.
"I can still pass it on, I think. My magic. Only my body is tainted. I should still be able to transfer it even to Nabu's new host, to seed my powers into those arcane tattoos that Kryptonian relies on."
"He is called Colin now." She didn't know what else to say.
Her father raised his hand to her cheek, tracing her tears.
"Don't mourn me, cuare mio. I've meant to resign from the League for a while now", he murmured. "It is time."
She pulled him into a deep embrace.
"We all survived", he whispered into her hair, holding her tight. "That's all that matters. We all survived."
Author's note:
I've got so many questions for you! Please review and let me know your thoughts, I'd be delighted to hear about all of your impressions!
Question 1: What do you think of my solution for Nabu? I'm sure most of you figured out I intended to use Match as his new host ever since Zatanna asked for the "obvious solution" in "Alternate Agendas". I really can't fathom why they chose to simply freeze him in the series... Sure, he might have no magical powers, but an indestructible boy ought to be of some use?
Question 2: Did any of you expect the seedling tattoos to give Match magic? I've been foreshadowing this heavily in "Humanity", although Kaldur already mentioned that a trainee's tattoos could store magic back in "Welcome to Happy Harbour". Don't worry, it was consensual: Since the G-gnomes (or other telepaths) can communicate with Match/Colin even while he's wearing the helmet, Conner was able to ask his brother's permission for this plan in "Outsets". Nobody expected him to agree within moments after waking up, yet apparently Colin really wanted to have that emblem on his chest... (And yes, of course it is the right way around.)
More questions: How do you like my new Roy & Will dynamic? Do you forgive me for stabbing Zatara? Did you enjoy Luthor's scenes? Did any of you already parse the meaning of "compelling solutions" before I published this chapter? Where did I manage to surprise you? What did you miss, what should I have added or written differently?
Were there any details you particularly enjoyed in these two showdown chapters, or any that you strongly disliked?
(For example: To me, it felt extremely satisfactory to give Red Arrow a chance to punch Luthor in the face...)
I've tried to tie off a few ends in a similar way to the show, despite practically creating an AU. Tanna is officially recognized as a member of the team now. Zatara is still leaving the League, since he lost control of his magic. Nabu will join them after they finally manage to hold that full members' assembly. The threat of the mind-control-aggregate (Starro-Tech) is banished, yet not all identities of the Light's members are revealed. Red Arrow is still leaving (and definitely meeting up with Cheshire again!) - and most importantly, everyone survives.
I will upload the two final chapters of this story (47 and 48) next weekend. Until then, please take a few moments and drop me a line or two! This is the very first fanfiction I've ever written, and it just hit 8000 views today, which is blowing my mind. Still, there are only seven people that have left me any reviews so far. (A thousand thanks once more to my ever-faithful dimensionholder, but also to Teen Shallot, EmptySpot and thatshawkward, who each reviewed more than one chapter.) To all the rest of my dear readers: Please send me your feedback - especially if you want me to write a sequel at some point!