7 Justice League the Corps
Carol swept into the infirmary. Although her heart wept for her lost sisters, she wore a smile so as to hearten Dela. The Xanadorian was wounded and didn't need Carol's burdens to weigh her down. Unfortunately, she was far more transparent than she'd intended.
"You're troubled," Dela immediately realized, "I hope it's not because of me."
Carol opted for complete honesty, seeing as how Dela's insights saw through her; "Somewhat, but the bulk of my sorrow is for those that we lost. Voura Rie died facing Murr the Melting Man and the sisters from Earth left in order to ensure our safety. It is a day of many losses."
"And I could have been one of them," Dela confessed, "Thank you for sparing me."
"I didn't completely spare you," Carol said, taking in the sight of Dela's casts.
Dela wore a rueful smile, "It is no more and no less than I deserve. I was betraying you and the entire Corps. Death would have been a fitting punishment. I certainly would have meted it out."
"And you're wondering why I haven't, despite our two encounters revolving around betrayal." Carol surmised. She grew very serious, "I love you, Dela, despite the heartache and the pain for that's what love is called to do. You should know this but you let your heart get clouded with ambition and jealousy. This cannot go on. You were chosen as a Star Sapphire because of your capacity for love. You displayed that love on Xanador until you went too far and scared off your paramour."
"You have love in your heart, Dela. Why do you hide it? To be a Sapphire, to really be a Sapphire, you must let love guide you in every decision, every moment of every day. It is a second by second process of surrender. You cannot succeed without completing this process. Once you have travelled down this path, anything becomes possible to you, even becoming the Sapphire Queen," Carol explained.
"Queen?" there was a slight nuance to Dela's voice. It was hope tinged with hunger.
"With love, all things are possible. You can still prove yourself worthy to the Zamarons. In time, they may hand you the star sapphire," Carol related. She held out her hand. Pinched between her fingers was Dela's sapphire ring.
Dela was hesitant, "Are you certain?"
"Pride, arrogance, ambition, greed, and doubt still taint your heart but I think you can overcome these. I will be watching you though. If you are threatened with being overwhelmed by any of these, I will take steps to stop you from harming yourself and others. If that means permanently stripping you of your ring, I'll do it without hesitation. Am I clear?" Carol laid out her terms.
"Perfectly," Dela acknowledged her burden.
"Then take this and rejoin your sisterhood," Carol encouraged her.
Dela accepted it and summoned her power battery. The lantern appeared before, lying on her stomach, which made her wince but she deftly recited the oath, charged her ring, and returned the lantern to subspace. Her eyes watered as she spoke to Carol.
"Thank you. I don't know what to say," she started to cry, from both joy and sadness.
"Embrace love and all will be well," Carol admonished, "I must go now. Our fellow Sapphires have had a chance to recover from their ordeal but they feel lost and confused. You know that feeling very well, I should think. They need direction and we need to remember poor Voura."
Carol started to walk away and Dela called after her, "You won't regret this!"
Unfortunately, Carol could easily see reasons why she should. They were written on Dela's heart. Only time would tell of the Dela could get past herself and truly love her fellow Sapphires.
At the Javelin, after Slushh's dismemberment, Lady Blackhawk had Galatea trying on clothes. The shuttle came stocked with various outfits for the crew and emergency use by the JLers. LBH had pulled together a flight jumpsuit as well underwear, boots, and a pair of leather racing gloves.
"Are you ready or what?" Lady Blackhawk called through the restroom door.
The door opened and Galatea stepped out. She was struggling with the zipper to the front of the jumpsuit, "I can't get this to zip up. It's too tight."
"No, you're just too big," LBH wryly remarked, "That's why none of the bras fit you. No one in the League is your size.
Galatea studied her situation. The zipper came as high as her breasts and then stubbornly refused to climb any higher. She knew women wore plunging necklines like this all the time but she wasn't one of them. Lady Blackhawk could see her discontent.
"Everything else about the suit fits. If we go any bigger you'll be drowning in it. Just look at this way, the boys will go crazy," LBH consoled her.
"That's what I'm afraid of," Galatea said dryly.
"Oh, it'll be fun," LBH promised her. She took Galatea's arm and started for the cockpit.
"About what you said…" Galatea planted herself in place and refused to move.
"I said?" Lady Blackhawk repeated.
"To Blackhawk when Slushh was after you," Galatea elaborated.
LBH looked crestfallen, "Look, I thought we were going to die. I won't be a problem between you two. I want him to be happy and he's happiest with you."
"Did you…?" Tea couldn't quite ask it.
LBH knew what she meant, "No. We never did. We've had fun together and I don't expect that to change but we've never been physically intimate."
"But you've been emotionally intimate?" Tea sought clarification.
Lady Blackhawk sighed, "You know how it is when you face life and death together every day. You get close. And sometimes you get the feeling you want to be closer. It's a pipe dream that won't lead anywhere."
Lady Blackhawk studied Galatea's confusion, "Or maybe you don't know. Given what he's said about your past it wouldn't surprise me if you didn't."
Now Tea felt insulted, "I know about stuff."
"Not like this. Who do you trust? I mean with everything? Your life, feelings, heart, and deepest secrets? And Blackhawk doesn't count."
Galatea was crestfallen, "No one."
"Well, now you have me," LBH declared.
Galatea looked startled, "You?"
LBH pulled her in close and started walking again, "Who else shares all of Blackhawk's secrets? I can show you the ropes of regular life. God knows if he's out of bounds I'll need someone to talk to."
"Um…okay?" Tea tentatively agreed.
Lady Blackhawk opened the cockpit door and shoved Galatea through, "Ta da! Do I do good work or what?"
Blackhawk saw her plunging neckline and was surprised. Of course, his eyes were also locked on target for several seconds before he met Tea's eyes.
She was grinning, "Do you like? Lady Blackhawk said you would."
"It has its merits but are you comfortable like that?" he wondered.
"I'm just worried about the other guys. I like showing me breasts off to you, but them? They'll just gawk and stare," she complained.
"So stay in the cockpit," he suggested, "We have room and the only time you'd have to leave is if you had to use the restroom."
"What about food?" Tea wondered.
"I'd be delighted to serve you," he offered.
"I could get used to that," she smirked.
"Then it's good I have the rest of my life to do it in," he said with due sincerity.
"Mmm, I love you," she leaned down and kissed him. She straightened right up, "Whoops! My boobs almost fell out."
"Trust me, he wouldn't mind," Lady Blackhawk said from the side.
Mary was turning red, "I'd better get back. The others may need me."
Blackhawk checked his instruments, "Actually, they're on their way here. Why don't you grab the hatch and greet our conquering heroes?"
"How do you know they're conquering?" Mary asked.
"They made it back," Blackhawk simply said.
Mary didn't say anything. She just exited the cockpit. Soon voices could be heard through the door.
There was a knock and then the door opened and Anna and Courtney entered. Anna pulled her mask down, "Have room for another?"
"Sure," LBH said, "Sorry, Court. All filled up."
"Yeah, I can see we're just all hanging out," she grumbled as she exited the space.
Tea blushed as she straightened her suit, "Am I…?"
"You're fine," Blackhawk reassured her.
"She'll sit beside her restored love and be at peace," Anna promised, "It'll be the best thing for her."
"Thanks," Tea said and then she slightly frowned, "And you are?"
Anna held out a hand, "Anna Fortune."
"You go by your real name?" Tea asked.
Anna laughed, "You're one to talk."
Galatea was startled by the good humor, "I guess I am."
"Anna?" LBH interrupted, "Do you think you could adjust her outfit?"
Anna's smile was a rueful one, "I'm sorry but the only spell I know regarding changing size turns people into toads."
"What about changing them back into people?" Tea asked.
"It's never come up," Anna positively twinkled, "Oh, do sit down. I have a feeling we're going to get on famously."
"Why's that?" Galatea had to ask.
"Because we're both women out of place in this world," Anna revealed, "I'm from a different time and you have a rather unique origin. I think that blend could be the foundation for something fabulous."
Galatea was being swayed by Anna's ebullience, "I'm sorry. You seem to know so much about me but I don't know anything about you."
"That's because you have a file. A file which I've read. You'd be amazed about what is in it," Anna became a little more somber.
"Like what?" Tea asked.
"You won't like it," Anna warned.
"Why?" Galatea inquired.
So Anna told her.
Galatea stormed out of the cockpit and marched straight to Superman. Even Clark could tell she was livid. She was also falling out of her jumpsuit. Every human male, except for Starman, was locked in on her chest. John recovered himself first she noted. Starman whispered a reminder of Claire into Booster's ear and he subsided as well. The Marvel boys were transfixed, however, and even the Ray and Kyle were having a hard time concentrating on anything else. Kara, who was sitting separately with Mary, snorted in disgust.
"I'm a loose cannon?" Galatea angrily asked, "A wildcard that represents an imminent threat and a danger to the public and the League?"
"What?" although it sounded vaguely familiar, Clark was at a loss, "Why are you saying that?"
"I didn't say it. You did!" she accused.
"When?" Superman was still confused. He was also aware of every eye and ear being turned his way.
"In your confidential files," Galatea fumed.
"The Question writes those assessments. Sometimes they're out of date," Clark offered as consolation.
"I helped you save the damn planet from Darkseid and the Daxamites," she continued, "And I helped you arrest the Legion of Doom. I could have sat that one out but I fought with you. Hell, I fought for you."
"And your efforts are appreciated," Clark had his bearings now, "But your past, along with your ever shifting loyalties make you unpredictable. Unpredictability can be dangerous."
"I'm on your side, you idiot!" Galatea growled.
"For now. How long will that last? Only your apparent sincerity in your efforts to reform has kept you out of prison. There are still those amongst the justice system and even within the League that would like to see you spend the rest of your life in the Gulag," Superman revealed.
"You took Atom Smasher back with hardly a qualm yet you're giving me the runaround? You're a hypocrite," she leveled the charge in her anger.
"I'm a what?" Clark was getting riled now.
"You. Are. A. Hypocrite." She said it slowly enough for him to get it.
"How dare you!" his umbrage got the best of him and he got out of his seat and faced her down.
"The truth bites, doesn't it? How often do you take a real honest look at yourself? I wonder if you like what you see when you do. If you do," Galatea mused.
"I don't need you to tell me these things," he retorted.
"Why not? You need someone to do it and the Princess isn't getting the job done," Galatea snapped.
"You leave her out of it," Clark warned in a low voice.
"Blackhawk and I are getting married," Galatea suddenly changed her angle of attack, "I wonder what you're going to do about that? Lady Blackhawk thinks you'll get rid of him. Will you?"
"I…" Superman stumbled.
"You don't know, do you?" she asked coldly.
"No, I don't know," he admitted.
"Finally, honesty at last," she sniped.
"Galatea, perhaps a re-evaluation is in order," Diana suggested, "You've performed many services for the good of mankind over the last year. That changes our criterion. Those changes will also be reflected in Blackhawk's ongoing status. Will that be acceptable?"
Galatea nodded at Diana and then faced with Superman again, "You should keep her and treat her right. She just saved your sorry ass."
She went back to the cockpit at that point and Clark turned to Diana, "How does she know what's in her file?"
"If you recall, Anna Fortune is also in the cockpit. Anna has taken it upon herself to read all of our files over the last few months," Diana alerted him.
"And it seems that Anna isn't the soul of discretion," Superman said bitterly, "What do we know about Anna? I mean really know?"
"Basically all we have on her is Fate's word vouching for her," Diana revealed
"I think it's time we unleashed the Question on Anna Fortune," Clark decided.
