Scene 49 - Interlude
Things got better after the training incident and both Brianna and Kaldur managed to sit down in the same room with other members of the League to discuss on about mission plans. While she no longer avoided his gaze, Brianna still remained guarded when it came to affairs of the heart. True to her word, she only saw him as a teammate and nothing more. The brunette carefully turned down any one on one meals with the Atlantean, opting to have dinner with a big group of friends.
Aqualad on the other hand remained quite content with what he had and continued to respect Ember as a valuable and competent fighter but there were times the blonde wished for more… Sometimes Kaldur'ahm would think back on the good times they shared as a couple and his heart yearned to experience that once again but he loved Brianna too much to make her uncomfortable. All the Atlantean could do was to watch her fondly from a distance and thank his lucky stars that he was still able to see her after all the things he had been through in the past year or so.
Time slowly ticked by from days to weeks and gradually to months. Ember slowly assimilated into the League, taking on big missions that required most of the League to be there and making friends with the other Leaguers. It almost felt like she was on Team version 2.0. As usual, most of the covert stuff was delegated to Aqualad who handled them with utmost confidence and success.
The anniversary of Wally's death was approaching and Kaldur couldn't help but stand in front of the speedster's hologram at the memorial garden. "I'm handing over my position to Batgirl. She has shown time and again that she excels in leading and not only that, Batman and Nightwing have trained her well in the art of strategy. Her plans so far have been ingenious and flawless," The Atlantean said quietly and the blonde archer next to him replied, "And what about you? Are you leaving the Team like what Dick did?"
Aqualad shook his head, "No. I plan to join the League on… Wally's death anniversary. We started the Team in hopes that we'll make it to the top and I think it's time for one of its founding members to do so."
A small smile graced Artemis's face, "And to join Brianna, isn't it? I can see from the way you look at her that you wish to be there for her every time she goes on a League mission."
A chuckle rose out from the Atlantean's throat, "That too."
Tigress extended her hand out and Aqualad shook it. "Best of luck, Kaldur."
The soon-to-be-ex-team-leader smiled, "You too Artemis. Are you going to be okay?"
The archer nodded, "Yeah… I just need some time alone. I come up here sometimes to talk to him…"
Sensing the girl's need for privacy, Kaldur quietly departed to tell his mentor the good news.
"This is the League's main locker area and they're arranged according to designations. Yours is beside mine," Ember showed Aqualad around League members access only areas and gave him a rundown of his duties. Somehow, she was a little puzzled why Aquaman wasn't the one to give his protégé the grand tour. "The rest of the instructions can be viewed on your data reader later. If you have any questions, feel free to ask any of us," The brunette worded her sentence carefully so it won't contain the word 'me' and the blonde nodded, "Thank you, Brianna."
Feeling something imminent, the brunette immediately attempted to make an exit. "You're welcome, Kaldur. Congratulations and welcome to the Justice League. I'll leave you alone now to soak in the atmosphere," Brianna gave him a small smile before flying away, cheeks a little hot from their close encounter.
The Atlantean stood there with a soft expression on his face as he watched her leave. It appeared she was so close yet so far. Aqualad didn't care if Brianna didn't reciprocate his feelings any more, all he wanted was to be there for her during hard times. Kaldur gradually learned that as long as she was happy, he would be as well. Seeing her healthy and alive was its greatest reward.
Author's Note: A short chapter for a one year timeskip to year 2017. I always imagined Kaldur joining the Justice League when he was ready and I figured honoring Wally's 'death' would be a good idea for his entrance into the League.
So he's finally in the League! One step closer to Brianna, perhaps? ;)
To LadyFelton1994: Hi there, thank you for taking the time to read this fic! Stay tuned for more chapters. :D
To Molly Grace 16: I'm afraid I'm not going to cover much of Wally's disappearance in this fic but Greg Weisman has been very secretive on why the Blue Beetle Scarab said "cease to exist" instead of "die" so I think maybe Wally is alive somewhere...
To murdercrowther: Thanks and I always update twice a week. :P
To Eszra: Thanks!
To piggythelaw: Thank you for the sweets! =)