An/ This chapter may be a little confusing, but I hope you can see what I was trying to do :)

Twelve Days of Comfort and Joy

Chapter Eleven

Something of Potential

On the eleventh day of Christmas my true love sent to me,

Eleven Pipers Piping.

Winter weather lapped at the window, chilly air and a slight wind breezing by but thanks to the numerous blankets and sheets neither of the two sleeping forms on the bed noticed. Amongst the cosy warmth of the sheets Shayera could sense something considerably warmer and automatically began to radiate towards it even while half asleep. Sleepily she discovered it and curled up against it, snuggling in before being willing to fall back into wherever she had been in sleep. Something in the back of her mind tickled, the sense usually related to trouble or forthcoming danger and her wings twitched in a combination of irritation and anticipation for what was about to occur. However it didn't and Shayera let out a breath before nuzzling further into John's form. Just as she was about to savour the peace and the deep sense of comfort, the door to the bedroom flew open, bouncing off of the wall as it collided with it.

John like a spring hastily sat up out of surprise and instinct before he groaned and flopped back onto the pillows, a small form meanwhile charged into the room screaming at the top of his Thanagarian lungs before quite literally launching onto his parent's bed. In his haste he hadn't considered whom or what he might land on and discovered on impact with something soft that he had in fact landed on one of his Mother's wings, a notion confirmed when a loud and almost stifled yelp filled the room.

"Rex!"

The loud commanding voice halted the small boy in his tracks even as he was in the process of trying to get off of the feathery wing he had squashed in his excitement. Sitting stock still he waited to find out which parent was going to tell him off but instead of being yelled at as he expected, more so from his mother, he heard laughing.

"Careful son, you upset your Mum and she won't let you have your presents." John continued to laugh as he sat up "Come on, off you get."

Rex mobilised and quickly jumped off of his Mother and into his father's lap "I didn't mean to."

Shayera groaned loudly before leaning back so that she could see both her boys, eyeing the smaller of the two with a very serious expression.

"What have I told you about running in here screaming?"

The colour drained from Rex's face "Uh...I...but it's...it's..."

Shayera grinned as she snatched her son up in her arms and tugged him beneath her, blowing on his stomach and generating a fit of giggles out of the young Thanagarian hybrid.

"Christmas!" Shayera laughed "So you can run around and scream as much as you like!"

Rex continued to laugh hysterically as he tried to escape Shayera's tickles "Dad!" He called in between giggles "Make her stop."

"No can do son, you'll have to fend for yourself."

Shayera stopped and looked at John a smirk playing on her lips "Daddy's just a light weight." She teased.

"I am not."

"Daddy's a light weight isn't he mummy?"

"Yeah," Shayera agreed as she leaned back on her haunches "We'll have to do something about that won't we?" She looked at Rex and smiled "Ready?"

John focused on the pair of them, looking from one to the other "Oh no you don't."

"Get him!" Rex yelled and threw himself at his father, Shayera too joining in as both of them sought to tickle the Green Lantern. Despite being a hardened Marine and superhero John Stewart laughed when tickled, both his son and Shayera knowing the exact spots.

"Alright, alright...I give!"

"Just as I thought." Shayera chuckled "Lantern's a light weight.

"I'll deal with you later." John promised her as he sat up, Rex hugging him around the neck.

"Dad, can we open our presents now?"

"Hmm..." John pretended to be giving the prospect considerable thought, Rex's eyes growing huge as time dragged on.

"Please, daddy."

"I don't know..." John said cryptically "I guess you'll have to ask your mother."

Rex's eyes grew wider still as he turned his emerald orbs to the only other set of the same shade "Can we open them, mummy?"

Shayera folded her arms before smiling "Of course you can, but-"

Before she could finish her sentence both of them had charged out of the room, racing eagerly to the Christmas tree and the subsequent gifts that awaited them.

"-wait for us..." Shayera completed, shaking her head, typical that they'd just forget about her.

Just as the Thanagarian was starting to get up someone ran through the door and pounced on her, forcing her back against the mattress, one of her wings getting trapped awkwardly but she didn't mind.

"Hello, John."

He smiled at her lovingly "Hello..." He kissed her sweetly "Merry Christmas, Shayera."

She laughed softly "Merry Christmas, John." Kissing him back she didn't pull away, a few moments later however she did "Are you going to let me up so that our son can open his presents?"

John nuzzled her neck "Maybe."

"Well he's waiting."

John leant back and peeked over his shoulder, there standing in the doorway in his Superman pyjamas was Rex Stewart, his favourite bear in his hands.

"Alright, I'm coming." John laughed as he stood up, following his son into the next room "Get a move on, Sunshine."

Shayera rolled her eyes.

The presents having been enthusiastically opened, Shayera was busy in the kitchen area preparing pancakes for breakfast, behind her Rex was playing with one of his new toys. Despite all the noise he was making she could still sense John approaching her. As expected a pair of arms encircled her and he rested his chin on her shoulder, glancing down into the mixing bowl.

"About...the 'present' you gave him."

Shayera sighed, she could tell he had been summing up the courage to talk about it ever since it had been opened "What about it?"

"Don't you think he's a little young?"

"He is of age."

She felt John take a deep breath "But he's just six."

"He is of age." She repeated firmly "I was the same age when I got mine."

John groaned in the back of his throat as he turned slightly to look at the box that had been put on the side after it had been opened, inside was a Thanagarian battle axe.

"How did you even get it?" John asked dubiously as Shayera cracked an egg against the bowl "Or don't I want to know?"

"Bruce helped me, Carter as well." She put the wisk down "Look I know it's...inappropriate here to give a child a weapon but if he were on Thanagar-"

John silenced her with a finger to her lips "You don't have to explain, I was just...surprised, that's all."

"I know," She conceded "But...I want to train him how I was, how my people were...he's really the only line left...I want my heritage to continue."

"And it will, I promise...I'm just not sure about this axe."

"Why?"

He didn't know how to say it without offending her; he knew enough about Thanagarians to know that they were probably trained brutally, he'd seen the scars that she had picked up during that time of her life. Seeming to sense John's line of thought, Shayera spoke up.

"It's blunt."

"What?"

"I said its blunt...maybe I had to train with sharp and very real objects but I'm not about to let my son do the same."

She was sure the giddy laugh that escaped him was a heavy sigh of relief; it made her smile all the same before she continued with her task.

"He's bluffing..." Shayera said softly into her son's ear "Don't let him fool you."

John looked up at her "You're supposed to be helping not conspiring."

Rex grinned; currently he was sat on his Mother's lap opposite his Dad, a chess set sat between them. When he was younger he would always watch his parents play together, his Mum usually winning most of the games but his Dad never seemed to mind much. Sometimes when no one was looking he would try to play on his own, pushing the shaped pieces around the board trying to imitate the motions his parents made. One afternoon Shayera had caught him playing and decided to teach him how to play, sometimes he helped his Dad and other times he helped his Mum, but they always played together and he looked forward to it.

"I'm not conspiring, I'm teaching him strategy."

John concentrated on the board before moving a piece, leaning back to stack his hands behind his head as he waited for Rex and his mascot to make their move. He didn't dare call her a mascot out loud, last time he had made the comment he had gotten a rather hard punch in the arm.

Rex reached a hand out to grab one of the intricate pieces but he heard his mother speak in his ear so that John couldn't hear her. "Think about what you're doing Rex, look at where Daddy has put his pieces...see?"

Concentrating Rex re-examined the board before dubiously reaching for a different piece, having heard nothing from his mum he decided to go ahead with the move.

"Check mate in six moves." Shayera stated sending John a wink.

John smiled. Rex always liked to watch his parents; sometimes he noticed things that they did, the way they looked at each other sometimes, the way they talked.

"I was meant to say that." Rex mumbled, slightly put out that Shayera had stolen his thunder.

"Oh, sorry Rex..." She kissed him on top of his mop of black hair that contrasted with her red "I won't do it again."

He nodded and waited for his Dad to make a move.

Twenty minutes later and Rex had sealed his first chess victory. Pleased with himself he bounced up and down on the balls of his feet as he enthusiastically gave a recount of the game to his father.

"And then I moved the knight-" A yawn interrupted his narration.

"I think it's time for bed little guy," John said thinking aloud "You've had a long day."

"But I'm not sleepy," Rex protested "Besides Mum was going to teach me to...to-" He yawned again.

Shayera laughed "Come on Rex, bed time."

"Okay..."

"Have you got Freddie?"

"Yes." Rex responded as he waved his teddy bear in front of his mother's face to show that the little bear was present and accounted for.

"Good, now get comfortable."

In response Rex wriggled under the blankets until he was comfortable "I did good playing chess, didn't I?"

"You did," Shayera assured as she ran her fingers through her son's hair "But you need to get some sleep."

"Yeah..."

Shayera chuckled as she pulled the blankets over him to keep him warm and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead "Goodnight Sweetie."

"G'night mum...love you."

"Love you too." Shayera confirmed as she tucked him in a final time and switched off the light, turning around she saw John in the doorway and she smiled. Both of them exited the room and dropped onto the couch, comfortably snuggled up together.

"He could barely keep his eyes open." Shayera said amused.

"It's been a long day...he loves that race track doesn't he?"

Shayera laughed "Yes, I can just tell that the two of you will be playing on that all day tomorrow."

John slipped his arm around her "Merry Christmas Shayera."

Turning slightly she looked at him "I remember when we slept on this couch almost every day for a week."

"My back remembers it too." John grimaced remembering the awful discomfort.

She smacked him playfully on the chest "I almost can't believe that we made it this far," She murmured softly "And Rex..." She sighed "He's just the most perfect thing I've ever done."

Laughing "John pulled her closer "Me too...and I told you it was worth the effort...imagine where we'd be if we hadn't kept with it."

"I don't think I want to know."

He kissed her "Well, one thing's for sure, it could never be as good as this."

Shayera opened her eyes, her face resting on John's bare chest and his heart beating against her ear. Had she been dreaming? Shayera remembered Christmas with John but a few years in the future, a young Rex running around and all of them were so happy, so perfect.

"Did you have a nice dream?" John mumbled as he rolled onto his side, huddling close to her and sliding his hands up along the length of her back, the skin warm and smooth.

She wondered if she had indicated that she was dreaming, it had been quite some time since she had dreamt of anything other than shards and fragments of painful memories and emotions. The Christmas with John and Rex had just been a dream, but it remained with her as hope and comfort that she and John were going to get through this, they were going to survive.

"Yes, I did."

John mumbled apparently satisfied with the answer but too tired to do anything about it, but had energy enough to move his hand to her hip and along her thigh as she curled a leg around him. "Go back to sleep Myr'a..."

"M'kay..."

Shayera smiled, yes...they were going to make it.