FROM DARKEST NIGHT TO BRIGHTEST DAY
Chapter One
"Leila Ann Drake!" Cissie bellowed. Her daughter had drawn all over the dining room wall with her crayons, and their company was due any minute!
Tim poked his head in from the living room. "What's up, babe?"
Cissie sighed. "Look at what your daughter did."
Tim regarded the chaotic scribblings calmly as he wrapped his arms around his wife and rubbed her now-swelling belly. "How come she's my daughter when she misbehaves? I was a good kid. I'm still convinced she gets it from Ollie."
"Well, they do say things skip a generation."
"Great. With my devilish good looks and Ollie's penchant for getting into trouble, we're doomed."
Cissie giggled and twisted in her husband's arms to return the hug. "Maybe this one will have my good looks and Bruce's broodiness."
"Heaven help us all!" Tim feigned exasperation. He had just put his lips to Cissie's when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it."
Tim opened the door to greet his brother-in-law, Connor, as well as Ollie, who was bearing a giant turkey, and… Kyle Rayner.
"Excuse me! Man on a mission here!" Ollie bellowed and barreled straight toward the kitchen.
"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Ollie!" Tim called, laughing after his father-in-law.
"Hey, Tim. Happy Thanksgiving," Connor greeted him with a man-hug.
"You too, man… Kyle." Tim gave him a cold handshake.
"Happy Thanksgiving, Tim." Kyle's brown eyes bored into Tim's blue ones.
All three men let out a breaths they hadn't known they'd been holding, when a small voice peeped out, "Daddy?"
All eyes turned to three-year-old Leila Drake, who was peeking out from behind the sofa with sharp blue eyes that matched Tim's. Thin black bangs wisped across her forehead to frame those eyes perfectly.
"Is Mommy mad at me?" Leila barely whispered.
Tim approached the couch and knelt to his daughter's level. "Leila, you know you aren't supposed to draw on the walls. We have paper for that."
"I forgot."
Tim sighed.
"I wanted to draw something pretty for people to look at," Leila continued.
Tim winced. "On the wall?"
"Mommy was talking about centerpieces and people like pretty centerpieces."
"But centerpieces go on the table… never mind, I don't want you drawing on the tablecloth. Okay, I'll talk to Mommy, but after dinner, you're going to clean that up, okay?"
"Okay," Leila grinned.
"Now go say 'hi' to your Uncle Connor," Tim winked.
"Unca' Connor!" Leila squealed and launched herself at Connor.
"Hey there, Lala. Do you remember my friend, Kyle?"
Leila furrowed her little brow. "You're the one Daddy doesn't like, right?"
Tim turned bright red and groaned. It was going to be a long day.
***
"Out of my kitchen, woman!" Ollie yelled.
"Daaad!" Cissie squealed. With a clatter of pots and pans, she found herself ejected from the kitchen. "As if!" She stalked into the living room to find Kyle on her sofa, flipping through one of her parenting magazines.
Kyle smiled. He was… relieved. He looked up at the woman he'd once loved with all his heart—well, okay, he still loved her and always would—but now, when he gazed at her, he did not feel the pain and anguish he once had. He had made his peace.
"Hey, Ciss." He put down the magazine.
"Kyle," Cissie approached him, wide-eyed. "I didn't know you were going to be here."
"I hope it's okay. Connor invited me kind of last minute."
"I thought you spent the holidays with your mom."
Kyle's face fell. "Mom passed away a few months ago."
"Oh Kyle, I'm so sorry," Cissie hugged him. "I had no idea."
"It's okay. Just… my first holiday without her."
"You're welcome here, anytime."
"Thanks. Although, I don't think your husband would like that."
"That was years ago. Tim can get over it. You need friends right now. Where is everyone, anyway?"
"Leila dragged Connor and Cassie off to play, as they are, apparently, infinitely cooler than I am."
"Cassie's here?"
"Yeah, she got here just after I did."
"Oh good, that means she and Connor are back together. How come you aren't seeing anyone, Kyle?"
Kyle shrugged. "I date some, but I just don't see a future with any of them."
"No one special, then."
"No, not really. But then, everyone pales in comparison to you."
Cissie blushed.
"Don't worry, Cissie. I don't pine over you anymore. You and Tim are meant to be together, and I fell in love with the wrong woman. I've moved on from that and I'm ready to find someone right for me. I just haven't found her, yet."
A Cheshire-cat grin formed on Cissie's face as she began to formulate a plan.
***
When all was said and done, Ollie had prepared a scrumptious Thanksgiving feast. There was a reason the man owned the most successful and popular restaurants in Seattle. Once everyone was stuffed to the gills, Ollie found himself at the mercy of his granddaughter.
"Grampa Ollie! Grampa Ollie! Let's go play!"
The adults chuckled at Ollie's exasperation. Luckily, his son-in-law came to his rescue.
"Sweetie, Grampa Ollie's worked very hard today, making all this food," Tim explained. "He needs some rest. Why don't you look at some books, or watch a movie together, instead?"
"Okay!" Leila exclaimed. With a flurry of squeals and much bouncing, the tiny toddler kidnapped Ollie and took him away to the living room.
Kyle raised an eyebrow. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Trust me," Tim smirked. "With all the turkey she ate, she'll be out in fifteen minutes. Then Ollie can get the rest he needs."
"My clever husband." Cissie smiled and kissed his cheek.
Cassie laughed. "Tim always was the clever one. Who knew all that detective training would end up being most useful for negotiating with toddlers?"
They all laughed. Tim and Cissie excused themselves to the kitchen to do dishes and prepare dessert, while Connor and Cassie joined Ollie and Leila in the living room for The Little Mermaid. Kyle followed the first couple into the kitchen.
"Hey guys, thanks so much for dinner and everything. I really appreciate it."
"You're not leaving already, are you?" Cissie asked.
"'Fraid so. I have monitor duty starting soon."
"Who's covering it now?" Tim asked.
"Marc. They don't really do Thanksgiving in Atlantis, but he has to make an appearance at some UN thing this evening, so… I'm it."
"Aww, I wish you could stay." Cissie hugged him. "You come back real soon, okay, mister?"
Kyle smiled. "Okay, Cissie, I promise."
He extended his hand for a shake. "Tim."
Tim's face twitched. He hated that he could not hide when he was upset anymore. He shook the outstretched hand. "Kyle. Take it easy."
Kyle left, and Tim and Cissie washed the dishes in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Cissie spoke.
"Tim, I wish you wouldn't be so hard on Kyle!"
Tim was flabbergasted. "Hard? Who was being hard on him? I was polite."
"You twitched."
"Oh, yeah? Well, you would twitch too if he had tried to steal your fiancée out from under your nose while you were in a coma."
"He's over that, Tim. Don't you think he deserves some happiness?"
"Well… sure. Everyone does."
"Good, I'm glad you agree. So, here's the plan."
"Plan? What are you talking about, 'plan'?"
"The plan to find someone nice for Kyle to settle down with."
"Excuse me?"
"I've decided that Kyle needs someone special in his life."
"You just decided that? Can you do that? Does Kyle know you're doing that?"
"Of course not, silly. You don't tell the person you're fixing up that you're fixing them up."
"Cissie, I don't think this is a good idea."
"Why not?"
"Well, for starters, Kyle lives in New York? Do you know anyone, besides Roy, that lives in New York?"
"Well, no… But I will make it work."
"You can't make it work. You can't just meddle in other people's lives."
"You just hate Kyle!" Cissie pointed a soapy sponge at Tim's face.
"I don't hate Kyle."
"Yes, you do!"
"Granted, Kyle is not my favorite person. That doesn't mean-"
Cissie burst into tears. "Why can't you do this one thing to make me happy?! Don't you love me anymore?"
"What are you talking about?" Tim approached his now-sobbing wife.
"No! Don't you come near me!"
She stormed out of the kitchen. Tim followed her into the living room. Cassie and Connor looked up from the movie.
"What's going on?" Cassie asked.
"Tim doesn't love me anymore! My husband hates me and nobody loves me!" Cissie stormed off to the bedroom and locked the door.
"I just… didn't think it was a good idea…" Tim was wide-eyed and confused by this point.
"Didn't think what was a good idea?" Connor asked.
"She wants to play matchmaker with Kyle."
Connor and Cassie exchanged looks.
"Should we tell him?" Connor asked.
"I think we have to. Look at him. Poor guy," Cassie replied.
"Tim, there's something you should know about Cissie." Connor ushered Tim through the dining room and into the kitchen, where they would not disturb Ollie and Leila, who had, amazingly, slept through Cissie's outburst. Cassie followed close behind.
"I thought I knew everything about her. Except for this whole demon spawn thing that's obviously been lurking underneath the surface."
"Yeah, about that," Cassie began. "When Cissie's pregnant… well, see you were out of commission through most of her pregnancy with Leila. How far along is she, now?"
"Four and a half months."
"Just as I suspected," Cassie continued. "She's already entered the nesting phase."
"Tim, you ever wonder why Bruce's study is pink, now?" Connor asked.
"Bruce's study is pink?!"
"Shows how much he pays attention," Cassie muttered into Connor's ear.
"Well, when Cissie got to this phase last time, she went kind of crazy," Connor explained.
"Crazy?"
"She'd been cooped up in the manor for months by that point, and pretty stressed out by the fact that you were still in a coma. Add the pregnancy hormones, and, well…" Cassie let her voice trail off.
"She played matchmaker then, too?" Tim asked.
"No, she had cookie-baking marathons and went about the business of making the manor baby-friendly."
"Hence the pink study," Connor added.
"And Bruce let her?" Tim was amazed.
"Are you kidding? He was terrified! Alfred too," Cassie added.
"Geez."
"It looks like, this time around, Cissie's decided to play matchmaker," Connor shrugged.
"But…why?"
"Who knows? But I wouldn't recommend going against her on this," Cassie advised.
Connor nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, okay. So…what do I do, now?"
Cassie grinned. "I think groveling is in order."