"You little jerks had us totally freaked out for a minute there, y'know?"

"For the millionth time, Uncle Barry, I know!" Wally couldn't help but laugh.

"I mean it! When I could finally see, and all of you were just lying there, I really thought 'oh, nuts, it didn't work, Iris is gonna kill me!'"

The red haired teen raised an eyebrow at his uncle's theatrics.

The red haired teen raised an eyebrow at her aunt's theatrics. "That's not really what first popped into your head. It was probably something like 'well, I guess the Rogues are gonna have to get used to a different Kid Flash after all'."

Betty chuckled at her niece, reaching over the ruffle the hair that had been released from its braid for a short time. "Suuure, Kid. I'm glad to have you back, though, Willow."

"I'm glad to have you back, though, Wally. After all, now you get to tell us just how weird we looked with swapped genders."

The teen groaned, rolling his eyes. "Oh ye gods, I thought I'd never get used to it! The worst thing was the different names, I swear..."

-CC-

"I can't believe it! That jerk did the same thing as me!"

"Artemis? What's wrong?"

"Apollo? What's wrong?" Paul Crock wheeled himself into his son's, admittedly messier than usual, room.

"She totally trashed my bedroom! That- that-"

"That- that- bonebrained, imbecilic jerk!"

Paula just shook her head in amusement. "Technically, you are just insulting yourself."

"Argh, I know!"

"Is it just me, or does she sound angrier than usual?" Jade poked her head around the door frame with a smirk. "What's the matter, baby sis, other dimension have you stirred up?"

"What's the matter, baby bro, other dimension have you stirred up?"

Jaden's smug expression faded, though, as Apollo narrowed his eyes in cold fury. "Jaden... Are you making Reyna Harper date you as payment for getting information for her?"

"Maybe."

"What!" The elder Crock brother realized his mistake as Paul's hand came up to latch onto his shirt collar. "Explain. This. Instant."

"Uh..."

-CC-

"Oh!" M'gann exclaimed in joyful surprise. "He did it too! Connor, the other me did my homework assignments, just like I did for him!" Silence met the martian girl's declaration. "Connor?"

"Cailin?" Mar'gann rose into the air and floated down the hallway. He would have sworn his girlfriend was right there...

Emerging into the hangar, Mar'gann came to a sudden halt, smiling softly. Romping around the open space below were Supergirl, Sphere and Wolf.

"Go long, girl!" Cailin called to the massive animal.

"Go long, boy!" Connor called to the massive animal, launching a steel ball across the room. Wolf took off after it with a howl, Sphere rolling around him with her song of whirs and beeps. Both beings seemed exceptionally excited to have their favorite human home again.

"M'gann, have you seen- Oh."

"Mar'gann, have you seen- Oh." Superwoman came to a halt beside the young martian as they watched the trio. "Oh, I wish I had a camera."

"Mm." He agreed with a hum. "...Did you need something?"

"I wanted to see if Cailin would be up to coming out to the family farm- after these past few days, our parents are insisting that she stay for a straight week."

Mar'gann's shoulders slumped slightly.

M'gann's shoulders slumped slightly. A couple of days was one thing, but a week without Connor.

"They instructed me to invite you as well - Connor's talked about you often enough, they decided a full family dinner was in order!"

"Oh! Thank you so much!" Superman chuckled at her brightened expression, then returned his attention to Connor acting like a regular kid and his pets.

-CC-

Zatanna lifted her eyes from the book as Rocket came stomping into the den. Her posture was one of anger, but there was a broad grin on the other teen's face.

"Grandmother pester you into the sky?" The magician asked coolly.

"That old woman is as irritating as ever."

"That old man is as irritating as ever." Rocket should his head despairingly. "I can't believe how much I missed him."

Zetenni gave his teammate a polite smile as he turned the page, eyes dropping back down to the next picture in the scrapbook. It was of his fifth or sixth birthday, when his mom tried to wipe off the icing Zetenni had gotten smeared all over his face. He couldn't help the wistful look, or the longing in his heart, but Robyn's - Dixie's - advice was to remember the good times whenever it seemed to get harder. Zetenni intended to follow those words.

Zatanna intended to follow those words. She kept turning pages, and eventually Rocket stopped stomping around and came over to look over her shoulder. The young magician found herself turning back to the front of the scrapbook, explaining each picture, and replacing the heaviness in her heart with the happiness of remembering.

-CC-

Kaldur couldn't help the grin that came to his face as his old friends talked about Aqualass' visit. Eventually, he managed to calm Tula's frustrations about his alternate being more open about the surface world and her adventures than him. Garth merely smiled and shook his head at the girl's complaints, waiting until the very end to voice on of his own.

"When the Queen first spoke to us about this, Tula thought I would be impolite - she even smacked me for asking an honest question!"

"Asking if my alternate was truly me, only in different form?" Kaldur remembered.

Garth gaped at him. "How did you know that?"

Graeth gaped at her. "How did you know that?" Kaldura merely grinned before waving her friends farewell. Swimming away, she still heard the sound of the gentle slap, followed by by Graeth yelping.

"I knew you spoke too loudly!" Tulon admonished, laughing.

Journeying through Poseidonis, but this time, the city that she truly knew, Kaldura felt at peace once again. The people, the sights, all had been returned to normal. Even the small park with its pack of playing children were once again the same.

Coming to a stop beside the open area, the teen hero sighed, allowing the experiences of the past few days wash away.

"Kaldura'ehm?" A young voice said from beside her.

"Kaldur'ahm?" A young voice said from beside him. Kaldur glanced down to see a mer-youth staring at him with wide eyes. He recognized the thin Atlantean - a junior student at the same school as Tula and Garth.

"Yes, L'gonn?" Putting on a polite face, the teen wondered what might be on the youth's mind.

"Who was that wearing your uniform? Was it your sister?"

"Who was that wearing your uniform? Was it your brother?" Kaldura opened her mouth to respond, but then closed it thoughtfully. When she did speak a moment later, every word was honest.

"In a way, Le'gon, he was."

-CC-

"Will there be anything else you require tonight, Master Richard?"

"Nah, I'm fine, Alfred. Thanks for asking, though."

"Sleep tight, Dick."

"'Night, Bruce. 'Night, Alf." The light was shut off, and the door closed.

Safe in his bed, Dick thought about the voice he'd heard while lost in the forest. He'd been running on fumes at that point, but after waking up at the other Mount Justice, he'd been so certain it was Dixie, his alternate self. And the look of relief on Breanna's face when he said so... Pushing back the covers, he quickly stepped over to the closet, dug around for a moment, then swiftly returned to his warm spot. Wrapping Batwoman's cape around his shoulders, the teen closed his eyes again, focusing on the feeling of the garment rather than his array of bandages.

Despite being back home, he wondered if the voice would ever be heard again. If he would have a reminder that somewhere out there, across the dimensions of time and space, there was someone else going through the same things. Someone else who got it.

Wrapped under Batman's cape within her own bed, Dixie was wondering the same thing. Eventually, both teens slipped into sleep, content that, even if only for a little while, there had been proof that they were never alone. That they had a connection which would never be broken.

-T-

Sorry about the long wait for this, folks. I was violently ill Sunday night, and was lucky to have gotten up the last chapter when I did. The past few days have not held many opportunities for putting together the epilogue. : (

Well, this wraps up Crossed Connections. Did you enjoy the story? And if so, will you come back to read the sequel in a week or two?

/Mischievous smirk

-Triscribe