Scene 56 - Reacquainted
Ember and Aqualad stepped out of the training room and they were followed by some of the younger teenaged heroes. Most of them were worn out from the pair work training exercise and Brianna called out to them, "Remember to keep practicing the various manoeuvres! We will be testing each pair next week." There were some groans of protest and the brunette continued, "Come on, whichever team wins will get a dinner treat at the steakhouse in New York City." The teenagers finally decided to quiet down and headed off to the showers.
"You're resorting to bribery now?" Kaldur'ahm spoke quietly and Brianna mock glared at him, "It's a good motivation tactic. We were once teenagers not too long ago and you know how they think."
The Atlantean nodded quietly and rested his hand on her waist as they walked off to the League's rest area.
"I'll see you in a bit for our date, handsome," His fiancée said and she tip toed to kiss him on the cheek before heading off for a quick shower.
It had been a month since the incident on the mountains and both of them were taking it easy and gradually become reacquainted with each other again. Though the last part was unnecessary since their time together felt rather natural and it was like they have never broken up. They still completed each other's words and worked in sync. Everyone was quite happy that the couple had reconciled but they did not know about their engagement yet… In due course, they would ask some of their friends to be the bridesmaids and groomsmen but that would have to wait for now.
Kaldur silently thanked his lucky stars that everything was alright but at the same time, he still had this nagging worry Brianna would leave him at any second. Stripping off his suit and stepping under the shower head to cool his body off, he still couldn't believe they were going out on a date after three years of separation. He dried himself off and picked out his civilian attire from his locker which consisted of a pair of jeans and a turtleneck. Stepping out of the men's room, he proceeded to the main meeting area of the break room and spotted Brianna walking towards him. His heart stopped for a moment as she looked radiant in a peach coloured sleeveless dress with a high-low skirt. "You look beautiful," The Atlantean whispered and she replied with a smile, "Thank you. I return the compliment too."
"Can I hug you?" Kaldur asked once more and Brianna looked at him weirdly and responded, "Of course you can. You don't need permission for that."
Aqualad then enveloped her in a fierce hug and ran his fingers through her hair. Surprised by his affection, the brunette held him close for a few long seconds before pulling away and saying, "What was that about?"
Blushing, the blonde replied, "I was just thankful and happy that you did not disappear on me."
Continuing the romantic moment, she pulled him down for a quick kiss, "Kaldur, we've been through so much to be together again. I am not going to let you go so easily. Please, stop worrying. Besides, I have agreed to marry you so you should look forward to a whole future with me."
Her fiancé nodded, "You're right. It's just an old nagging habit from my days with Black Manta…" His words trailed off and she knew what he was saying. Ever since their reunion, he had been telling her bits and pieces of his time with his biological father and she understood the agony he went through to keep her and the Team safe.
Touching his hand as a gesture of support, she pulled him towards the Zeta Tube platform, "Come on, we have a table with our names on it."
They teleported to Happy Harbor and stepping out of the alley, the couple looked around. The surroundings were familiar but some of the shops had changed. The old arcade became a book store and the cinema had been revamped and looked brand new.
"This place has changed quite a bit…" Kaldur said in awe and the brunette nodded, "But some places still remain the same. The burger café is still here." The couple walked over to the crowded food establishment and were quickly ushered to their reserved seats.
"Ah, Kaldur and Brianna! It has been a long time!" The owner greeted them excitedly and Ember returned the smile, "Indeed. It's good to see you too Mr Sigma."
Nodding enthusiastically, he chatted with them, "Both of you still look as youthful as ever. Where have you been all these years? I was quite worried you didn't like my cooking anymore."
Shaking his head, the blonde Atlantean replied, "No sir, we moved out of town during our college years and life has been busy. We finally found time to return back to Happy Harbor."
Smiling, Mr Sigma gave them a knowing look, "Ah, both of you are going to settle down, aren't you? Congratulations! I will ask the kitchen to give you extra servings of potato salad and dessert will be on the house."
The brunette blushed and the owner waved them off, "No need to explain, Brianna. I am very happy for you both. So, will you two be having the usual Super Burger meal?"
Kaldur looked over to his fiancée, a little unsure if her food preferences had changed over time but she nodded, "Yes please." The owner took down their order and scuttled off to the kitchen.
"I wasn't sure if your taste in food still remained the same." The Atlantean whispered after Mr Sigma walked off and Brianna held his hand reassuringly, "It's still unchanged. What about you?"
Kaldur responded, "Likewise." The brunette smiled at him, "Then there is nothing to worry about. Let's enjoy this date night."
True to her words, they savoured their dinner as they chowed down on their own half of the burger as well as eating up the potato salad and coleslaw. They traded small talk and jokes and at one point, a bit of food was smeared on her cheek and he wiped it away gently with his thumb which brought another shy girlish smirk to Brianna's face. Dessert was a wonderful plate of double chocolate fudge cake with a scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream on the side.
"Here." The brunette said as she skewered a piece of the cake with her fork and offered it to her beloved. Kaldur ate off the fork and returned the favour. Both of them were behaving like high school love birds and Mr Sigma, who was watching them from the side lines, was beaming. Cuddling against her, Aqualad pressed a kiss on Ember's head, thankful for an umpteen time that this amazing woman was by his side.
The couple paid for their meal and after promising that they would stop by Happy Harbor more often, they bid the owner farewell and strolled around the town. Fiddling with his pocket, Kaldur realized that his gift was left in his locker. Sighing loudly, Brianna gave him a startled look and the blonde said, "I left something back at the tower. Should we head back? We can conclude the night watching the stars."
His fiancée agreed with his idea, "That would be very romantic. Sure."
Sitting on the couch in Kaldur's own small rest room, they couple gazed at space and watched the stars twinkle. They could see the Sun burning brightly in the distance and it was a good thing the Tower had the technology to make the window screens fade to black to simulate night time. The Atlantean then got down on one knee in front of her and pulled out a navy blue ring box from his pocket. "I know I have already proposed but I would like to do it in Earth tradition. Brianna, will you marry me?"
The brunette laughed, "Of course I will, Kaldur."
He then opened the box to reveal a single diamond ring set in a coral coloured band and he slipped it onto her ring finger, "I was planning to ask you to marry me after you graduated from college… This has been kept safely in Dick's private vault for a very long time."
Looking down at the ring, it was a mix of surface and underwater elements, "It's beautiful."
Kaldur then took out a small pen shaped device from his pocket and he explained before Brianna could ask, "This contains voice recordings of my journal entry logs on board Black Manta's ship… I know you have already forgiven me but I'd really like you to hear it… It would explain why I have been a little reluctant in telling you some of the deeds I did for my… biological father."
Brianna took the pen and looked at her fiancé uncertainly, "Are you sure you want me to listen to this?"
The blonde nodded, "Yes. It would be much easier…" The brunette pressed the button and the first audio entry began to play out.
Finally, I have found something adequate for me to record my personal thoughts with. This will be kept on my suit at all times and it doubles as a flash light so no one would question its true source… Week ten on this ship and I miss the Team and Brianna very much. Father keeps training me in the ways of the troopers and while it is sickening, I have to maintain a neutral expression at all times. I hope she is okay… I love her.
Ember looked at Kaldur and he urged her to go on.
This is week fourteen and Father is impressed with my progress and he says I am ready for my first mission. He wants me to assassinate one of the men who have been leaking information to Aquaman on the sly… I suppose there is a first for everything. If my memories are right, Brianna would be graduating soon. I wish her the best for her career and I know she will pick a job she likes.
Brianna continued to listen to the next few recordings intently and she cringed visibly at the pain in Kaldur's voice about all the killings he had to do. He had also stopped counting the weeks as he had given up hope that the mission would be completed before the year 2015 would end. The brunette hugged him closely at the recordings of his sadness. When the year 2016 was approaching, she could hear the slight relief and happiness in his voice when he finally met up with Nightwing to pass him some plans about the alien invasion and the secret hideout on Malina Island.
I saw Brianna yesterday and she still looks as beautiful as ever. The look she gave me though, burned into my soul. There was so much hate in her eyes and even though she didn't say a word to me, the silence did cut me like a knife. Father is proud that my effort has helped him gain a seat in The Light's circle. That doesn't offer me any consolation… Brianna hates me now and I have no choice but to live with it till this undercover mission ends. Even if my heart feels like it has been stabbed, I still love Brianna very much.
Ember bit her lip and squeezed her hand against his. The pain had hurt both of them.
It seems like things are getting from bad to worst. Brianna was present for the satellite rocket sabotage mission and she saw me kill Artemis. There is a good side to this though, Artemis is here and together, we can finish this sooner. Hopefully Ember will still be willing to hear me out when all this is over.
The brunette gave a small whisper, "I'm sorry if I wasn't willing to listen to you…"
Kaldur shook his head and hugged her close, "I'm sorry for causing you so much pain." The couple held each other in silence for a little while more and took the courage to listen to the rest of the recordings.
I am finally myself again. M'gann has successfully escaped the ship and our covers weren't blown. Father has briefed me on what I have missed out and even though he is reluctant, The Light wants me back in the field ASAP. My resolve has strengthened. My love for Brianna will pull me through this.
Brianna gave a small smile at his determination and she kissed his cheek. "The last one is better," Kaldur whispered. His fiancée nodded and thumbed the button for the final entry.
Finally, I am almost done with my infiltration into The Light. Luthor has revealed more about The Reach and the Team can use that to our advantage. Soon, I will be reunited with Brianna again. Please wait for me, my love. I will explain everything when I return.
It was way past midnight when the couple was finally done listening to the Atlantean's audio journal. Brianna wiped away tears from her eyes, touched by his unwavering love for her through the troubled times. "I feel so horrible now… I regret being awful to you. All those times I shunned you… You were just keeping me happy and safe. I am so sorry! I don't deserve such a good man like you, Kal-"
Her words were cut off by a kiss to calm her down and the blonde held onto her tightly.
Pulling away, he spoke, "Don't worry about it. I can never hate you. Besides, we have started over and we will continue to learn from each other and grow as a couple."
With his sincere words, Brianna vowed to always love him and have all disputes settled amicably. He had sacrificed so much for her and it was now her turn to return the favour. "I have to learn too…" She whispered and sealed their renewed love for each other with another passionate kiss.
The stars appeared to shine even brighter than before during the couple's night in the Watchtower, seemingly reflecting Kaldur'ahm's and Brianna's renewed devotion to each other.
Author's Note: Sorry if this came out a few hours later, I was out celebrating my birthday which is today. =D
It's April 2018 and the couple finally get reacquainted with each other. Yes, I implied something if you read it right. ;)
I was inspired by a story I read once where the wife gifts her journal to her husband as a Christmas present as he totally misunderstood her intentions for marrying him. In the journal, she poured her heart out and her husband finally realized what an utter jerk and fool he had been.
So I incorporated that idea into the story where Kaldur hands Brianna a bunch of voice recordings. Why he didn't do that earlier near the end of Season 2? He knew she would have ignored it and possibly destroyed the pen. Kaldur just had to wait for the right moment to present this to her.
Oh and have any of you bought the Young Justice: Legacy game or saw the cutscenes? Man, I must be psychic! I had Tula dying and Kaldur leaving the Team around Feb-Mar 2015 and in the game itself, it happens in Feb 2015. Well within the margins of error! Though the way Tula died was different from my story, she still sacrificed herself. Poor dear. :(
To Eszra: *sends you a carton of tissues* I hope it's tears of joy. :)
To murdercrowther: Thank you so much for your praise. I'll miss this story as well. You can always re-read it if you have the time. :D
To bluepenquin1998: I KNOW RIGHT?! Thank you! =)
To Molly Grace 16: Thanks! It's quite funny they got together as boyfriend & girlfriend when Brianna was on a hospital bed and now they're engaged when Kaldur is on a hospital bed. Their life is so funny. :P
To Lady Amazon: Yes they did, in a non-traditional way. ;)
To piggythelaw: It took them 2 years but they are finally reunited!