Tada! A new chapter! Because it was so requested, haha.

Anyway, this'll be the last update of The Past's Flames for at least two-three weeks. (Yes I realize I just came back to this story, and now I'm leaving again. But I love you guys for reading this, I swear!)

But the reason is, I have two other stories, A Final Fantasy VII story "A Dying Past" and a new Kingdom Hearts story "The Protector of Light" and neither have exactly been written for a long time. If you like either of the fandoms you can check out the stories. I'd be super appreciative, too.

And I know this is kind of short-ish, I guess. But I hope it'll be okay until I write more of this story. Thanks so much for reading guys.

By the way. If you leave questions in the reviews, I'll try and answer some in the following chapters. It's really fun for me to do that.

Anyway, onto the story!

Chapter Nineteen: Love and Family

Mount Justice

November 14 11:40 EST

"Now just pull back to your cheek. Steady. Steady. Now, release."

The arrow flew across the room and imbedded itself in the red circle of the target. Gabrielle grinned as she jumped excitedly. "I did it! I did it!"

Roy laughed as Gabrielle continued to jump up and down. "Settle down. It's much easier with a compound bow."

"Can you let me celebrate for a measly two minutes?"

"Alright, alright, please, by all means, return to your happy squealing."

"Thank you." Gabrielle squealed and jumped in a circle. Roy chuckled as Gabrielle composed herself. "So now what do I do?"

"Just because you hit the target once, doesn't mean you're done. Try and hit it a couple more times."

Gabrielle nodded and reloaded the bow Roy was letting her use. She aimed it at the target and took a deep breath. She released the arrow and watched as it flew over the target and out of sight. "Oops…"

"Glad no one's here…" Roy muttered as he walked over to Gabrielle.

Wolf suddenly walked into the room, glaring at the duo as he walked over to them, turning to show where the arrow had hit him. Gabrielle attempted to hide the bow behind her back with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry boy, my bad."

She handed the bow to Roy before walking over to Wolf. She examined where the arrow had hit him before swiftly pulling it out, with only a slight reaction from Wolf. Gabrielle then put her hand over the wound and waited a few moments before removing it, showing there being no trace of where the arrow once was.

Wolf licked her cheek a couple times as she laughed. "You're welcome! You're welcome! Now cut that out! It tickles!" Wolf ceased his licking and Gabrielle scratched behind his ears. "Good boy. Now, we will not speak a word of this to Conner, deal?"

Roy chuckled, as Gabrielle scratched the wolf a few more times before standing up and retrieving the bow from Roy. "Alright, let me try again."

Gabrielle took her stance and reloaded the bow when Arrow stopped her. "No, there's your problem." She glanced at him as he walked over. He stood behind her and placed his hands over hers. "Now, raise the bow a little." Gabrielle did as told. "Now, draw back to your cheek." Gabrielle drew the arrow back. "Steady. Don't doubt yourself. Keep a clear head. Focus on your target."

Gabrielle took a deep breath and held it before slowly letting it go. She stared at the target intensely, she pulled the arrow back a little more, hesitating a moment, before releasing the arrow.

Both watched as the arrow shot across the room and made contact with its target, embedding itself an inch or two above the red circle. Gabrielle turned to Roy who smiled. "See? You got this. Just don't over-think it."

"Alright." She put on a cute face. "But maybe you should show me just a few more times?"

Roy chuckled. "Alright, but let's pay attention this time."

Gabrielle rolled her eyes as they once again took position, Roy standing behind Gabrielle with his hands placed over hers.

Mount Justice

November 17 12:43 EST

Gabrielle fired five arrows in rapid succession, all five hitting the red target. Gabrielle examined her shots and smiled as she turned to Roy.

He smiled as he walked over to her. "That was perfect. You're a quick learner."

"Well I have a good teacher."

Roy took his bow from her, and offered her a wrapped box. "Here, I got you something."

Gabrielle stared at the box curiously, before pulling it open and peeking inside. She quickly dropped the box top, and pulled out the folded black compound bow. She put the box down and flicked her wrist, causing the bow to fold out into full size.

Gabrielle examined the bow and discovered the upper and lower limbs of the bow were adorned with violet roses. She stared up at Roy who smiled at her. "Like it?"

"It's… I'm speechless… Thank you." She threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. He returned the hug, chuckling slightly.

"And what, exactly, is going on here?"

The two froze before releasing their hold on the other, and turning to find the team. Gabrielle waved, pretending as if nothing had happened. "Oh hey guys! What… Brings you here?"

Zatanna spoke up. "Well Megan, Conner, and I do happen to live here. I think the better question is; what are you two doing?"

"I asked him to teach me archery. It was the one thing I never got to try." Gabrielle quickly answered.

Artemis crossed her arms. "And that hug?"

"He gave me a present? I was only being nice. You're probably the only one who doesn't like him, Artemis."

"Well why did you ask him? You could've asked me."

"You kind of have school, if you didn't notice." Gabrielle furrowed her brows. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you guys be in school?"

"Our 'parents' called us out." Robin answered. "Apparently Bats has a mission for us."

"And 'us' means…?"

"The whole team." Batman spoke up as he walked over and turned on the holoscreen.

Everyone walked to a spot with a good view, as Batman brought up a map of the country. "There's been a rash of thefts, all simultaneous, in different states. All thefts have occurred in Manhattan, Taos, Metropolis, Seattle, and Star City."

"What are they stealing?" Zatanna questioned.

"Scientific equipment, weapons, technology-." Batman was cut off when Gabrielle interrupted.

"Were any of the thieves ever caught on tape?"

Everyone glanced at her, before Batman replied. "Yes, at one of the recent robberies, local surveillance caught a glimpse at the thieves." He input a command and stared at the screen as it rolled the footage.

A pair of men wearing civilian clothes, but donning half-face masks like Gabrielle's, were seen carrying boxes and crates to a near-by van, loading them into the license plate-less van. Once the doors were shut, one of the men ran to the passenger side and climbed in, while the other glanced around, facing the camera for a moment.

Gabrielle and Roy stared at each other, as both recognized the man as one of the men from the group they had defeated on Halloween.

Batman spoke up. "Is there something you two would like to share?"

Gabrielle pointed at the holoscreen. "May I?" Batman stared blankly before nodding. Gabrielle walked over and quickly typed on the holographic keyboard, bringing up ten pictures of men with half face masks. "Those two are a part of a freelance group. They used to only take low-class stuff. But now they're aligned with the league of shadows."

Batman crossed his arms. "And how do you have this information about this group?"

"They're the group Cheshire has used in the last few encounters we've had." Gabrielle stared at the pictures for a moment. "They're probably doing errands for the Shadow's… wouldn't be the first time." Gabrielle didn't move her attention from the screen. "And I don't care who asks, I will not answer if anyone asks 'how do you know that'."

Batman stared at her a moment before turning to the team. "We believe they'll strike again tonight, which is why we're sending you out in groups to investigate. Artemis and Zatanna will be sent to Manhattan, Kid Flash and Robin to Seattle, Aqualad and Miss Martian to Taos, Black Rose-"

Gabrielle interrupted. "Star City."

Batman stared at her. "I assign the missions."

"I understand that. I'm nicely requesting to be sent to Star City, with Arrow boy over here." She gestured to Roy. "Superboy can go with Wolf to Metropolis."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"Meaning?"

"Why do you want to go to Star City, specifically?"

"Because I figured since Roy's here, he can go with someone, and Star City is where he's from. And Natalia's in Star City, so I figured I could pick her up after the mission."

Batman stared at her for a few minutes, everyone staring between the two, before Bats spoke. "Alright, Black Rose and Red Arrow will go to Star City, and Superboy and Wolf to Metropolis. Gather your gear and report back for deployment in seven hours." With that, the dark night left.

The team began to converse about the mission as Gabrielle whispered to Roy. "Is your gear at my apartment?"

Roy whispered his reply. "Yes. Why?"

"Go get it, while I grab my stuff. We're going to get a head start on this mission."

"I knew there was a reason you wanted Star City."

"There's always a reason. Now go."

Roy chuckled before swiftly making his way out of the cave unnoticed, as Gabrielle snuck to get her equipment.

Star City

November 17, 10:05 PST

Black Rose and Red Arrow crouched atop a house, clothed in their hero attire, staring into the backyard. Arrow turned to Rose who stared intensely at the grass. "Gabrielle, are you okay?"

She stared at him for a moment before staring at the back yard. "Yeah I'm fine."

"Alright… Can you finally explain to me why we're here?"

"Remember I told you that my brother worked with that team?"

"Vaguely."

"Well he'd know more about why they would be doing this, I hope so anyway."

"That makes sense. But why are we going in our hero costumes?"

"Because I love freaking my brothers out."

Arrow laughed as Rose jumped down into the backyard and was quick to follow. They turned to the back door and stared at each other before walking over. Rose knocked on the door and waited with her arms crossed.

Abigail opened the door with a confused expression, which only grew once she spotted the two masked heroes. "Uh… Um… C-can I… Help... You?"

Rose was quick to answer. "Is Brandon home?"

Abigail turned into the house. "Honey, it's for you!"

She moved out of the way as Brandon walked over. "What do you mean it's for me? Who would even be at the back do-?" He paused once he laid eyes on the heroes. "Um… If you're here about something an Anderson did, I can tell you it was more than likely my sister."

Rose glared at him, before pulling her face mask down. "And what did I supposedly do this time?"

Brandon's jaw dropped as Abigail covered her mouth. The couple stared at each other for a minute, before returning their glance at the two heroes. "Gabi? But… How? Why are you…?"

Gabrielle smiled at Arrow. "Told you I liked to freak them out."

Brandon composed himself before crossing his arms. "What kind of game are you trying to play, Gabrielle?"

"Whoa, whoa, cool your jets bro. I'm not playing a game. I'm a part of a secret team of heroes. It's made up of the protégés of the Justice League. I'm Black Canary's."

"You're… A hero..? That doesn't seem likely, given your reputation."

Gabrielle glared at him. "I told you! I've changed! I'm helping people and doing good! I'm fighting the people who killed mom and dad."

Brandon held his hands up. "Alright, alright. Calm down. I'm sorry." He turned to Arrow. "So, who's this? Is he your boyfriend or something?"

"No, he's not."

Arrow stared at Rose curiously. "But wait… I thought…"

Gabrielle elbowed his arm. "Shut up!" Brandon stared at them curiously, before Gabrielle crossed her arms again, staring at her brother. "Look, you know I wouldn't do something like this unless it was important. I need your help."

"And what could I possibly help with?"

"Your old team."

Brandon stared at his sister for a moment before walking further inside. "Come on, we'll talk in private."

Gabrielle and Arrow followed him inside as Abigail closed the door behind them, staring at the trio with concern.

November 17, 10:38 PST

Brandon and Gabrielle talked in Brandon's study while Arrow watched from distance. Abigail walked over and offered him a glass of water. Arrow took the drink, continuing to watch the siblings as they seemed to be in a heated argument.

"My husband's a good man, you know." Arrow turned and stared at her as she watched Brandon. "He may have done some wrong things in his past, but he's good."

Arrow stared at Gabrielle. "Well Gabrielle thinks so."

"And what about you, what do you think?"

"I don't know your family well enough to base opinions. But Gabrielle trusts him, and that's good enough for me."

Abigail smiled slightly. "So how long have you two been together?"

Arrow stared at her, slightly flustered. "We're not…"

"Now don't try and pull that with me. I know my sister-in-law well enough to know when she's lying. Especially how you reacted to her answer last time."

Arrow sighed and stared at Gabrielle again. "About five days."

"And yet when we met you almost two weeks ago, it seemed to me that you were dating then."

"What do you mean two weeks a-" Arrow paused when he saw Abigail's smile. "How did you figure it out?"

"Your voice, your hair, and your attitude, they're the same."

Arrow chuckled, staring at Gabrielle once more. "Well we weren't dating then."

"But you wish you had been?"

"Yes, I guess I did. I've cared about her a lot for a while now… I just didn't realize how much I cared about her… Not until that day, when I lost her. I was so worried I'd never get to see her again."

"Well, from how quickly she left after Trevor had mentioned you, I gathered that she felt the same. I'm glad you're together. I think you're good for each other." Arrow stared at Abigail, ready to speak when she interrupted him. "Perhaps you should go make sure everything is alright. I need to check on my daughter."

Arrow nodded and walked over to the room as Abigail made her way upstairs. As Arrow neared the room, he could hear what was being discussed.

"Brandon! You're not listening to me! You don't have to fight them; you don't have to come with us! I just need you to help me out here, with information, anything you can give me."

"I left that life behind Gabi, years ago! How am I supposed to know what they're doing or why they're doing it?"

"Brandon, you're all I've got. It's not like I can just ask someone from the team." She shivered slightly. "I could ask Lloyd the next time I undoubtly run into him, but that is a big can of creepy I have no intention on opening up. No way, no how!"

Arrow spoke up. "That Lloyd guy is a part of this team? Why didn't you mention that?"

Both Andersons turned to him. Gabrielle tapped her chin. "Oh yeah, I never told you. Do you remember the blonde that I pushed toward Sportsmaster on Halloween?"

"Yeah." Arrow chuckled. "He didn't have a clue what you were doing until it was too late."

"Well that was Lloyd. Hence why I offered him up as sports bait."

Brandon stared at his sister. "You've been fighting them?"

Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's what I've been trying to tell you. Arrow and I have been encountering them on and off for a couple months! First they were stealing stuff in Star City, and then they were ready to kidnap me for the Shadows, and then they nearly beat the crap out of us on Halloween, back in Denver. This is first I've heard of them since Halloween."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Oh no. Absolutely not! I told you that you're not going to fight them. You have your kids to think about."

"And what if they decide they want me back? It wouldn't be all that hard to find me, Gabi. Besides, you'll need me. I may not know what they're up to, but I know those guys. I doubt they've changed since I last saw them."

"Well I know Lloyd hasn't. He's still got that joker-like grin plastered on his face. It drives me absolutely nuts, and all I want to do is knock him senseless."

Brandon and Arrow couldn't help chuckling. Brandon walked over to his sister. "Then it's settled I'm going with you."

"Hold up, I never agreed to this."

"Maybe not, but I'm the elder here, and you have no authority over me."

Gabrielle glared up at her brother. "I'm just trying to protect you!"

Arrow interrupted. "Maybe we should let him come. If he knows the men, then it could give us an advantage."

Brandon and Gabrielle stared at him, Brandon with a smile, and Gabrielle in disbelief. "You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious, Rose."

Brandon grinned more. "I like this guy already."

Gabrielle moaned. "Ugh! Two against one, this isn't fair!"

Arrow put a hand on her shoulder and slightly smiled. "Just calm down. Everything will be fine. You know we're practically unstoppable as a team."

She sighed and crossed her arms. "Fine, doesn't mean I have to like it." She reached inside her jacket and pulled out another face mask. She held it out to Brandon. "Here, for when we go. We don't need any civilians seeing you helping us, if any are around. I doubt it will do much to hide your identity from the guys."

Brandon nodded and took it, before heading out of the room. "I should talk to Abigail and let her know I'll be going out tonight."

They watched as Brandon left, and Gabrielle sighed as she stared at the wall. "If anything happens to him, I'll never forgive myself."

Arrow kissed her cheek. "I though I told you to calm down. Everything will be fine. We can protect him, I know it."

She smiled slightly. "Alright fine, you win." She uncrossed her arms and held her hands behind her back. "So that brings up another matter." Arrow stared at her confused. "What did you and Abigail talk about?"

Arrow looked away, slightly blushing. "Oh.. Nothing important… Just… Stuff."

Gabrielle stared at him blankly, before shrugging. "Alright if you say so. I'm hungry, I think I'll raid the kitchen. What about you?"

"Food sounds good."

Gabrielle smiled and walked off to the kitchen, as Arrow watched, smiling at her. He recalled what he and Abigail had discussed, blushing slightly more, before following after Gabrielle who was already in the kitchen.