Kicking Dark
On the private jet, owned by the Queen family, that was getting them to Nanda Parbat, Veronica and Oliver, accompanied by Talia and Nyssa while Sara stayed to watch over Star City, did their best to explain to their adoptive son where they were going, why and, since they were telling secrets, they also told him that they were Karma and Arrow but that he had to keep the secret.
Hunter understood and he was excited to be able to meet Veronica's father and see such an old place. He was also quite proud to know that his parents were Star City's super vigilantes.
"And he can heal you? You and Nyssa and Talia's father? He has something magical that can heal you?" Hunter asked Veronica.
"Yes, a very old pit full of magical water. It's dangerous but they know what to do to make it safe." Veronica replied.
She was still very pale and weak. They had faked some papers to get her out of the hospital and told her doctors that they were going to try an experimental treatment out of the country. The doctor had protested a bit but eventually agreed that there was nothing he could do for her anyway.
"Why don't you let Veronica rest a little, Hunter? Come over here and Talia and I will tell you all about Nanda Parbat and your new adoptive grandfather." Nyssa offered and the little boy nodded, kissed his mother and rushed to his aunts to hear stories about their childhood in this ancient fortress and of his new grandfather.
Veronica knew that Nyssa was eager to see Hunter again and to spend time with him but she was glad to see that her other sister accepted him as well like a member of their family.
Knowing that the boy was fine, Veronica closed her eyes and rested, hoping that everything would go well.
.
As soon as the plane landed, they were welcomed by several members of the League, led by Raz himself. Raz hugged his daughters and, since they couldn't roll the wheelchair all the way to the fortress, members of the League carried Veronica on an ancient looking chair that she could imagine used to carry a princess a few centuries ago.
"Don't worry, sweetheart, everything will be fine. The pit will heal you quickly and then you'll be just as strong as you used to be." Raz told her on the way.
"I know, I'm not scared. Plus, it allows you to finally meet Hunter." Veronica smiled.
"Of course, I couldn't wait to meet my first grandchild." Raz nodded with a smile as he watched the little boy who walked by his side and held on to his hand naturally.
Veronica and Oliver had expected Hunter to be nervous when he met Raz but instead, he just hugged his adoptive grandfather, called him grandpa and acted like they had seen each other a dozen times before. Nyssa and Talia must have given him pointers. Raz seemed to like it and he listened attentively as Hunter told him everything about his school and the classes he liked the most. For a moment, Veronica's smile disappeared.
She was thinking about something she had done her best not to think about, about the baby she had lost in the shooting. Her baby. It could have been a boy, or a girl. Either way, it would have held on to Raz's hand, played on the floors of Nanda Parbat or Queen mansion and now, it never would. Her child would never hold her hand, would never smile at her or kiss her on mother's day. Oliver would never get to teach this child to ride a bike or to throw a ball. This child would never feel the sun on its face, it would never smell the wonderful scent of Oliver's cooking. They would never play with it.
Without realizing it, Veronica had started to cry.
"What's wrong, honey? Are you in pain?" Oliver whispered.
"No, I... I guess it's just hitting me now... Everything." She replied in a small voice and Oliver squeezed her hand softly.
"It'll be alright, I love you." he simply told her, understanding what she was talking about.
"I know. I love you." She nodded.
.
Once they had all arrived in the fortress, Raz offered to give Hunter a tour of the place and to introduce him to the League so they knew him with Nyssa and Talia while Veronica rested in her room. Then, they'd have lunch and she'd be dipped in the pit.
Oliver stayed with his wife while she rested and he rolled her chair to the room where the others were waiting for them to eat. They crossed Norris who hugged Veronica before he went back to his duties. He had apparently been a quick study and a great student. He had raised quickly in rank and was now in Raz's trusted circle, which had nothing to do with the fact that Veronica had recomanded him.
They had a small lunch and Talia helped Veronica put on a ceremonial white dress before she was carried and placed in the pit so she could be healthy again.
Of course it could be done without all the ceremony but it helped keeping the demons away, so they did it. Hunter was very interested and he stood attentively by his adoptive grandfather's side, watching as Veronica was slowly dipped into the magical water by selected members of the League and while his aunts participated in the prayer part of the ceremony.
"You still rock, Veronica Mars, well, Veronica Queen, now really. You're a Queen now, how cool is that? Anyway, everything will be alright now, you'll see." Lilly whispered to her best friend, with a smile on her face.
"Lilly?" Veronica asked.
Veronica was still lying in the water, in some sort of trans and though the people around her could hear her speak, they couldn't hear or see Lilly. Of course they all knew who Lilly was and they grew curious, wondering why the young ghost was present. After all, the last time she appeared, she warned them of a danger.
"Of course it's me, silly." Lilly smiled.
"I miss you so much." Veronica told her.
"I do too, but you don't have to. There's a way to bring me back, using my body, this very pit and someone to restore my soul like that weird hot friend of your husband's... Constantine." Lilly told her living best friend.
"Your body? You mean the one decaying in the coffin? Buried in Neptune?" Veronica asked with a frown, worrying the people around her.
"Yes. Someone, I'm not sure who but I think it's an angel or something, not that hot, told me that I'd have the power to stop people like Damian Dark if you do it the right way." Lilly nodded.
"Is it safe to do so?" Veronica asked.
"Well, your father knows of a potion that will have to be given to me as soon as I start to wake up. And you'll definitely need to have a soul restoration ceremony right after I get out of this magical hot tub or I'll be all evil demon and that's not something you want." Lilly replied.
"That's great!" Veronica exclaimed.
"But you have to think about this Veronica, because this is a one time only opportunity. You can bring me back, or you can get back the child you lost when you were shot." Lilly told her best friend.
"What do you mean? My baby is dead, gone. We can't bring it back. There's nothing left of it." Veronica replied and Oliver frowned, wondering what was going on.
"Like I said, in two days is a special moon and it can be done, or they can bring me back. You have to decide now. If you chose to save your child, they'll bring it back to your womb now, if you don't, they'll prepare to bring me back in two days." Lilly explained to her best friend.
"Oliver and I can have more children, Lilly. Do you want to come back?" Veronica asked in a soft voice.
Outside of the pit, Raz, Talia, Nyssa and Oliver looked at each other curiously.
"I do. It's lonely here. I've looked everywhere and very few people can see me. I'd like to come back." Lilly told her.
"We'll prepare for everything, Lilly." Veronica promised.
"You have to go now, see you soon, Veronica." Lilly told her with a wink before a flash of light woke up Veronica, who sat up in the pit.
"What happened in here?" Oliver asked her as he helped her out of the pit.
"Lilly, she can be brought back, kind of a once in a lifetime opportunity because of the special moon in two days and the help of some sort of angel whose name she didn't remember because he wasn't hot. She'll have the power to stop people with magic like Damian Dark." Veronica said quickly before she explained everything that Lilly had told her in the pit, including the choice she had to make.
"You made the right decision, Love." Oliver assured her.
"Nyssa, you go get the potion, you know where to go. You'll be back with plenty of time if you leave now." Raz told Nyssa who nodded and left.
"I'll call Duncan and warn him, he can arrange for Lilly's body to be brought here with the help of Argus." Oliver offered.
"I should probably call Jake and warn him too. Without him we wouldn't know about Dark and even if he can't come, he should know what's going to happen." Veronica said as she dried herself.
"I can go to Neptune meet Duncan and help to bring back the coffin. I could warn her father as I do." Norris offered.
"Thanks but I should do it myself." Veronica shook her head.
"You want to go there?" Oliver asked.
"I think so, yes." Veronica nodded.
"I'll go with you." He nodded.
"Can I stay here until you come back?" Hunter asked shyly.
"If dad agrees." Veronica smiled, looking at her father.
"Of course you can stay, this will give us the chance to get to know each other. I have a few music instruments around, maybe you'll even be able to show me what you've learned." Raz nodded with a smile.
"Constantine should arrive tomorrow, I guess he'll be able to help. It's a good thing he was going to come anyway." Oliver said.
"I'll set him up with everything he needs for the soul restauration ceremony." Raz nodded.
.
A few hours later, Veronica and Oliver stood in front of the Kane's house. She had called earlier to tell Jake that she needed to talk to him and that they didn't have much time. He promised to be at his house, with Celeste, when she arrived.
"Ready, Love?" Oliver asked her.
"Yes, I am." She nodded before she rang the doorbell.
Jake opened the door himself and showed them the way to the living room. Before she sat down, Veronica turned on a device Mac had perfected that would disturb the signal of any bug that could be listening to them.
"You look better than when I saw you in Star City." Jake told Veronica while they sat down around coffee.
"Thanks, the Lazarus pit would have that effect on someone." Veronica smiled.
"I'm glad it could help." Jake nodded.
"It's kind of related to why I'm here." Veronica started to say.
"How?" Celeste asked, speaking for the first time and doing her best not to be hostile.
"I... While I was in the pit, Lilly visited me. It's a long story, I've been seeing her once in a while ever since she died and, well, she told me that she could be brought back. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity linked with a special moon, an angel and probably the need to stop Damian Dark for a better future. Lilly would have the power to fight and defeat Damian and people like him. An Angel warned her and she warned me while I was in the pit. We've decided to do it, but I decided to come here and warn you. Duncan is on his way to retrieve Lilly's body to bring her to the pit. The people he works for have the power to do it without telling you but I felt that, since you risked your life to warn me for Dark, you deserved to know." Veronica told them.
"When?" Jake asked while Celeste was speechless.
"Tomorrow, at midnight." Oliver told them.
"You can't be there for the ceremony because of your affiliation to Damian Dark, but we can make sure she contacts you once she's back, though I'm not sure if she'll want to come all the way here..." Veronica added.
"Why wouldn't my daughter want to talk to me?" Celeste frowned.
"I'm sure you remember how things were like when she was alive. You never accepted her the way she was, after she died, you made it your mission to ruin her best friend's life, my life. You covered up her murder, making it that, without me, her murder would have gone unpunished. She's still angry about all of this." Veronica told Celeste.
"I... It's a lot to take in... Please make sure to at least tell us how it went, even if she doesn't want to talk to us." Jake asked.
"Of course." Veronica needed.
"She was 16... She'll be brought back at this age, right?" Jake asked.
"I think so, yes." Veronica shrugged, unsure.
"We'll make sure she's fine, don't worry. She won't be left to fend for herself, even if she doesn't want to go back to you." Oliver added.
"I'll set up something for her. You'll probably have to make her fake papers. When you have her name, tell me and I'll set up an account for her, with enough money. She's still our daughter after all, I want to help take care of her." Jake promised and Veronica nodded before Oliver and her left the house and rejoined the plane, where Duncan, Norris, Little Lilly and the coffin were waiting for them.
Before they had left, Celeste added that she'd have everything they had left of Lilly's brought over to the Queen family home so that their newly reborn daughter could find something familiar.
"Did everything go well?" Oliver asked them.
"Yes, no problems." Norris nodded.
"Let's do this then." Veronica declared seriously.
.
When they arrived, Little Lilly rushed to join Hunter while the adults realized that everything was ready for Lilly and her soul restauration. Constantine was present, and happy to help. He hadn't met the League but he knew enough to know that having them as friends was better than being their enemies.
"Your sisters will oversee the preparation of Lilly's body, why don't you go and rest a little?" Raz told Veronica while Oliver went to speak with his old friend.
"I think I'm too excited to rest, I'll go and train a little." Veronica shook her head.
"About that... I hope you won't be mad at me..." He started.
"What is it?"
"Hunter was bored and wanted to see how we trained and he wanted to learn a few things. I gave him an outfit and a sword. I started teaching him and promised him to teach him more if he wanted." Raz looked nervous, afraid he had crossed a line.
"Why would I be mad? You're his grandfather, the only one he has left. Some grandfathers take their grandson fishing or hunting, but it's not your style, or his. He's a special boy, very smart for his age. If he wants to learn how to fight, then I'm happy you're teaching him. Just make sure he understands that he can't show it in public. That he can't use these skills in school. And, maybe, make sure he knows that you're open to doing other things with him, like music or, I don't know, stuff." Veronica replied with a smile.
"I'd like it if he could come once in a while, during his school breaks." Raz told his daughter before he hugged her.
"Of course, we'll arrange this. I might not always be able to go with him, but I'm sure we'll be able to set up something. You could even come and visit us sometimes. I know he has a school show in a few months, we could arrange for you to come with us. I'm sure he'd love that." She nodded.
"Thanks." Raz smiled and hugged her quickly.
Once she arrived in the training room, she could see Hunter and Little Lilly both fighting with wooden swords, getting advises from a member of the league Veronica had seen before with Nyssa. Smiling at them, she motioned for another member to come and she trained a little with him, blowing some steam while, in another room, her dead best friend was getting prepared to come back.
.
When the right full moon finally rose, everything was ready and Constantine was present, helping them keep the demons at bay and prepared to go in Lilly's body to retrieve her soul later, with Veronica and Duncan. During the day, he had done a little ritual to contact the angel in contact with Lilly and he knew exactly how to help her once she was out. It would take a little while for her to be ready to use her powers against Damian Dark but the vigilantes and their friends would be able to keep him at bay until then.
Hunter and Little Lilly were not in the room, they were sleeping in another bedroom since it was well past their bedtime and nobody wanted them around if something went wrong. They'd meet Lilly in the morning, once everything was sorted. There was no need to scare them with Demon-Lilly.
When the body was brought, they had dressed it in a pretty traditional dress and she was covered with a white sheet to hide from Duncan and Veronica the current state of the young woman's body. It was something they didn't want to see. They didn't want to remember her as anything other than her cheerful and obnoxious alive self.
"Are you sure you want to stay?" Oliver asked his wife.
"Yes, she needs me. I can do it." Veronica nodded.
While the ceremony started, Veronica held on Duncan's hand while Oliver wrapped her in his arms and stood behind her. Her father was near her as well while her sisters presided over the ceremony with the high priestess.
After a while, Lilly's body sat up in the water, taking off the sheet that was covering her and she was just as pretty and lively as she used to be, except that she had an angry look on her face and her eyes were cold. She looked wild and Veronica had no trouble at all believing that a demon was inhabiting her body now.
Two men held Lilly in place while Talia force fed her the potion and, as soon as she had swallowed it, Lilly's body went limb and they laid her out of the pit and into the space that had been prepared for her soul restoration ceremony.
Constantine took his position and was joined by Duncan and Veronica, who'd go inside with him, to get Lilly's soul back. They were ready to fight and to win, knowing that Lilly was worth it.
.
It hadn't been easy, the demon had fought back but eventually, before the sun rose, Duncan, Veronica and Constantine were back and Lilly was awake, alive and herself. Everybody could see her and the first thing she did was to hug her grown up best friend and her once younger, now older, brother. Then, Veronica introduced Lilly officially to everyone, especially her beloved husband.
"I can't wait to eat again! I've been craving a pizza and a Big Belly burger for so long! Oh, and Soda!" Lilly exclaimed.
"I'm afraid we have nothing of the sort here, but we can find something good to feed you until you can eat these things." Raz offered before he gave orders for a celebrating breakfast feast to be prepared.
"Why don't you come with me, I picked up a few things for you to change into. Then you'll meet Hunter and Little Lilly." Veronica suggested.
"Sure, lead the way." Lilly nodded while Duncan went to check on the kids.
"This is going to be weird, isn't it?" Veronica asked Lilly.
"Probably a bit, yes. I mean, you're a grown up woman now. You're responsible but thankfully, you're still very cool." Lilly smiled.
"Yes, thankfully." Veronica smiled before she added.
"You said I'm responsible... It's true and this I why I'm going to bring up a subject you won't like... Your parents."
"I don't have parents anymore. I died, it's like I divorced them." Lilly frowned.
"I know how you feel about them but your father did risk his life to give us informations we needed. They deserve to at least see you once." veronica insisted.
"Do I have to?" Lilly asked in the same tone she used to complain about homework.
"I'm afraid so. Plus, your father said he'd put some money on an account for you and you do need to do some shopping." Veronica tried to convince her.
"Fine, we can stop by Neptune on our way out of this place." Lilly nodded.
"Do you know how to use your powers yet?"
"No, but I was told that Constantine would be able to help me learn how to control them." Lilly smiled.
"Then, once we leave here, we'll stop by Neptune and then go to Star City. There we'll ask Mac to create you a new identity and everything you need. Once that's done, you'll be able to follow Constantine, train and come back when you're ready. Moira suggested giving you the Queen name, saying you're a cousin or something. Or we could give you the Mars name and say you're Keith's niece." Veronica suggested.
"I think I'd like to be Lilly Mars. Keith rocked and this way his name will survive." Lilly replied with a smile before she added:
"Plus, imagine the look on Celeste's face when she finds out the name I have now!"
"It will still be friendlier than if you chose my mother's maiden name." Veronica chuckled as well.
"I'll get a cellphone to keep in touch with you, right?"
"Of course, everyone has a smartphone these days. It would be a crime if the great Lilly Kane didn't have one. You'll have to be careful though, don't post your pictures on the social media and everything. We don't want people wondering why someone who looks just like Lilly Kane is wandering around the world." Veronica smiled.
"I know, it's such a shame to deprive the world of my face and awesomeness!" Lilly joked.
"Now come on, time to meet your niece and my little brother." Veronica smiled.
"Little brother and adopted son." Lilly nodded.
"Everything alright honey?" Oliver asked Veronica when they arrived in front of the dining room.
He had been waiting in the corridor with her.
"Yes, everything's perfect." She replied with a bright smile before they kissed.
"You two are even better together than you and Duncan, Veronica. I can't believe it." Lilly declared before she walked past them and joined her brother to meet Little Lilly and Hunter.
"She seems Happy." Oliver noticed.
"I've very rarely seen Lilly upset. I mean, the only time she was not happy was when she was bitching about her mother or when Logan cheated on her." Veronica replied.
"What about you, are you happy?" he asked her.
"I am, even though it's going to be taking some getting used to." She assured him.
"Come, let's get breakfast. Later we'll call Mac to tell her which identity Lilly has chosen."
"She's agreed to stop by Neptune to see her parents, so we'll be able to call Mac from there and Jake will be able to settle the bank account for Lilly."
"Good, which name did she choose?"
"Lilly Mars." Veronica smiled, so did Oliver, who knew how important it was to his wife that her adoptive father was remembered.
.
A little after noon, everyone was ready to leave. Constantine had just left, promising to meet them in Star City in a couple of weeks to take Lilly with him and train her. Until then, he had something to take care of and, apparently, something to retrieve that would help Lilly learn to control her powers.
"Veronica, I'm going to prepare the League. As soon as you know where to find Damian, as soon as you're ready to fight him, tell me and we'll be there as soon as we can. Talia is going to Gotham, she'll be closer and she'll come too. We want to be there when you attack him, even the first time, to weaken him until Lilly's ready." Raz told his daughter as they said goodbye.
"Thanks, dad. And I'll see when Hunter can come by for a visit. I also need to get you an invitation for his school's recital." She replied.
"Take care of yourself, Veronica. The pit is at your disposal, but I'd rather not see you in there again."
"I'll try." she smiled before she hugged him.
Duncan decided to go with Veronica, Oliver, Hunter and his sister to see his parents along with his daughter. Veronica had made sue the street cameras would malfunction when they passed by it so that nobody would be able to film Lilly. To make sure that, in case someone saw, she wasn't recognized, they had her wearing a wig with short black hair and big sunglasses.
Of course Lilly was nervous but she did her best to hide it, knowing that, if things got too hard for her, the presence of Little Lilly and Hunter would allow her an escape and that her brother and Veronica would have her back and create a distraction if need be.
"Where are we meeting them?" Lilly asked, not recognizing the town anymore.
"Their new house, well, new to you, they've had it for a while now." Veronica replied.
"This town has changed a lot... in the worst way." Lilly commented as she looked outside through the window.
"I know... Some things can't be changed I guess." Veronica nodded.
When they finally arrived in front of the double gates that delimited the Kane property, they identified themselves and it opened. Hunter and his friend Little Lilly (or Lililly as he took to calling her now that Lilly was back), were comparing their classes and what they liked most in Nanda Parbat.
Already Lililly had asked her father if she'd be able to go back one day and Nyssa had assured everyone that she was welcome. Duncan had promised his daughter that she'd be able to join Hunter there next time he went, or at another date, if she wanted, as long as Raz and Nyssa agreed. Talia even made a joke saying that at this rate, Nanda Parbat would turn into a kid's vacation spot.
"What if they say something about the reason I died?" Lilly asked Veronica and Duncan in a small voice, concerned and afraid of rejection, even though she didn't care much about her parents anymore.
"They want you to keep in touch, Lilly, I don't think they'll do anything that could jeopardize this." Duncan reassured his sister while veronica nodded.
The front door of the large house opened before they opened the doors of the car. Jake and Celeste stood together, looking like the newly remarried couple they were and not the divorced one they had been for a few years now.
"Lililly, honey, why don't you go ahead and say hi to your grandparents, give your aunt some time to gather her thoughts?" Veronica suggested before she opened the door and the little girl nodded happily, grabbing Hunter's hand and rushing to introduce him to her grandparents, who were equally happy to see her but surprised to see Hunter.
The Lilly girl hugged both her grandparents and introduced Hunter to them while the adults and Lilly got out of the car. Lilly felt small all of the sudden, maybe because Veronica and Duncan, who used to be a year younger than her and to look up to her, were now older and the ones she'd have to look up to.
"Lilly! Oh my god it's really her, Jake!" Celeste exclaimed, grabbing her husband's arm in a tight grip as soon as she noticed her daughter hiding between Duncan and Veronica.
"Just as pretty as she always was." Jake smiled.
Seeing that Lilly was a bit uneasy, Jake took control of the situation.
"Why don't we all head inside, we've prepared snacks and the kids will be able to watch tv while we catch up." Jake Kane declared, forcing his wife to follow him inside and leading the way for everyone.
Lilly felt grateful for this and smiled thankfully at her father. It was true that while she was never really close to either of her parents, definitely not like Veronica had been close to Keith Mars, Lilly had always gotten along better with her father, who seemed to get her a bit more than her mother used to.
Once they were inside, Duncan hugged his mother and shook his father's hand, allowing Lilly to finally step toward her parents. Seeing her take one step in their direction broke something between her and her parents because her mother rushed to give her a hug that was very uncharacteristic of her but Lilly brushed it off and hugged her mother back. As soon as her mother let her go, she felt herself taken in another warm hug in her father's arms.
The hugs and reunion between the family took less than 15 minutes before they all found themselves sitting down around a table, with tea, coffee and snacks.
"Mom, they have a pretty piano. Lililly said it was okay to play on it, do you think I can?" Hunter came to ask Veronica, whispering it in her ear.
"Why don't you go and ask Jake, Honey? It's his house after all." She replied with a smile.
Hunter nodded and moved around to table to stand next to Jake Kane and he pulled on his elbow to get his attention.
"Yes, Hunter?" Jake asked, trying to hide how much the boy's resemblance to Leanne touched him.
"Do you think I could play on the piano you have in the other room? I promise I'll be careful, I know how to play, I learn at school." He told the man.
"I know you're learning, my granddaughter told me so. I've heard of the school you're going to and I know they only accept the best, so if you want to play on this piano, go ahead. It hasn't been played on in years." Jake smiled.
"Thanks!" Hunter replied with a big smile before he dropped a quick kiss on Jake's cheek and rushed to join his friend in the other room.
"Who knew you could be this good to kids!" Lilly exclaimed before she could stop herself.
"Things change." Jake replied.
"Yes, I never thought my parents would go so far as to join an organization like Damian Dark's and be responsible for so many deaths!" Lilly replied back.
"Lilly..." Veronica warned her.
"I know, I know. I'm trying to play nice." Lilly nodded before she stopped talking, making her parents smile in nostalgie.
"So, Mac has just sent me the details of Lilly's new identity. She chose her new last name. It was Lilly's choice." Veronica assured before she handed Jake a piece of paper on which the name Lilly Mars was written, along with her new social security number, chosen birth date, bank account number and cell phone number.
"Mars?" Celeste asked out loud with a frown while Jake didn't react.
"Yes, such a great man's name deserved to be remembered and carried on." Lilly replied, looking her mother right in the eyes, as if to dare her to complain.
"I get it, I think it's a great idea." Jake nodded.
"You could have gone with my maiden name." Celeste tried to suggest.
"Or Leanne's. I could have gone with Lilly Reynolds." Lilly smirked and Duncan tried to hide his amusement while his mother looked her usual annoyed self.
"I'll make sure you have enough money on your account that you don't ever want for anything. Lilly, honey, please, I know it's hard and you're angry at us but try not to shut us completely out of your life. Please. Even if you just send us a text once in a while to tell us that you're fine, it would make us happy." Jake declared.
Lilly didn't answer but nodded.
"Do you... Do you know when you'll go up against Damian?" Jake asked Veronica.
"Lilly won't be able to fight him just yet, she needs time to train but we'll delay him before that. We'll plan an attack on his facility with all the people we can gather. We won't kill him but it'll weaken him and give us time to train Lilly. In the mean time, he'll think he's safe and that he's fooled us." Veronica nodded.
"With Oliver's strangely hot friend." Lilly nodded.
"That's so wrong, I didn't hear that." Oliver shook his head with a frown while Veronica and Duncan chuckle.
"Just so you know, Thea also thinks Constantine is hot." Veronica told her husband.
"I don't need to know that." He shook his head.
They stayed with the Kane's for a while longer before they all headed back to Star city.
"Veronica, I know that Amanda Waller won't allow Argus to get involved with this, but Lila and I can assemble a small team to help you, you just have to ask." Duncan told Veronica on the private jet getting them back in town.
"A suicide squad?" Veronica asked him.
"Why not? Lila and I are highly ranked, actually, if Waller passed, Lila would take over as number 1 and I'd become number 2." Duncan commented.
"Kind of makes you hope." Oliver argued, having never liked Amanda Waller much.
"Who would you put on your team? That hot Cupid chick that loves Oliver? Or that hot Deadshot guy that killed Diggle's brother?" Lilly asked her brother.
"Why does everyone has to be hot?" Duncan rolled his eyes.
"Hey, I don't mind if you bring Captain Boomerang too, as long as you have a few hot guys on the team." Lilly chuckled, making them all smile.
"Anyway, using a suicide squad would only bring us trouble, if we come, it would be with our own agents, men and women who'd volunteer to help out on their own time." Duncan replied.
"We'll probably be fine. The Flash and his team will come, plus all the other vigilantes and superheroes we've contacted. It will probably be enough to delay Dark and make him think that he's won." Veronica shook her head.
"Plus the League who's on their way too." Oliver added.
"True." Duncan nodded.
.
When they arrived, they went home quickly, to change and so Hunter could rest and be safe with Moira and Thea. They introduced them both to Lilly, while Lilly spent some time with Thea, they went in their lair to contact the people that could help and inform them that they'd strike an attack on Dark in two days. Of course most of them replied immediately that they'd be there. A few of them took a while longer to answer and Aquaman couldn't make it, he had a "bigger fish to fry", but they were confident that they'd be fine, especially since Mac would be able to help them by literally entering the computer system.
Constantine would arrive the day after the fight to take Lilly with him and train her. They didn't know how long it would take to get Lilly ready to fight Damian Dark but they'd do it. Until then, Thea had volunteered to help get Lilly back in touch with the real world, technology and things girls her age usually liked and knew.
"You know that you'll eventually have to go back to school, right? At least finish High school?" Veronica asked Lilly a few hours before her hero friends and her would attack Damian Dark's facility.
Most of the people they had contacted were already present, including Raz Al Ghul and a large number of his best warriors. Talia was there as well, and she had brought her own warriors with her to help her new little sister.
"I know, and I will. As soon as I've done what I was brought back for I'll find a place to settle down and finish High school." Lilly promised before she added:
"You'll be careful tonight, right?"
"I always am." Veronica nodded.
"Good, because now that I'm back, you can't die." Lilly smiled.
.
Their plan was solid. They'd cover all the exits and entrances of the facility and their set of skills were so wide that they knew they'd stop everyone without having to cause any death.
They had coordinated with the police to evacuate the area of civils and, in less than 3 hours, they were done. Dark had run away, weakened, but his entire organisation had been stopped by the heroes. They had put aside all the persons who only followed him because of the drugs they were given and they'd try to reprogram them. Diggle had been surprised to see his brother, who he thought dead, but before he could even try to reach out to him and give him a chance, his brother had killed himself.
Talia followed Bruce back to Gotham while Raz and Nyssa went back home to Nanda Parbat, promising to be back on time to see Hunter's next recital.
Two days had passed since the fight had been over and Veronica was telling Lilly goodbye, knowing that Constantine would take good care of her and help her control her powers.
"Keep in touch and don't forget to ask if you need anything." Veronica told her.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine and soon we'll be able to stop this Damian Dark for good. Then I promise I'll go back to school and make a life for myself." Lilly told her best friend while Oliver spoke with Constantine.
"I know. Be careful." Veronica smiled.
A few minutes later, Constantine and Lilly were driving off and Veronica was left in Oliver's arms.
"John Constantine sure has his hands full with her now." Veronica chuckled.
"A lot has happened lately... Are you sure you're alright, honey?" Oliver asked his wife.
"I am. Strangely, I think that Lilly being back helped me deal with the loss of our baby. What about you? How do you feel about this?" She asked him.
"We'll have more children. We're happy and strong enough to face anything that comes our way. I'm sad of course, but I'm happy that you're healthy and still here with me. I feel lucky that you're in my life." he told her with a smile.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Veronica. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you." Oliver said before he kissed her and guided her inside were they'd get ready to drive Hunter back to his school, stopping on the way to have lunch with Barry.
Sorry for the time it's taking me, life is getting in the way and I have a hard time finding inspiration to finish some stories. Plus, I'm pregnant with my first child and preparing for the little one is taking a lot out of me.
Review please?
I have two more chapters planned, though I can't promise they'll be published anytime soon. The last chapter I have planned might be the last one, or it might not. I might get inspired for me later we'll see. In the mean time, this story who was meant to be a one-shot sure has grown a lot.
Lorelei Candice Black