Alright readers thank you so much for taking the time to review.
As a treat I've decided to make a little bit of a change for this chapter. Rather than see the story from the teens' point-of-view, for this chapter we're going to see what their parents have been up to.
Hope you enjoy!
*Disclaimer: I do not own the JL, just the teens in this fanfic
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Chapter Seventeen: Parent Conference
7:30 P.M.
'Hmm…it is almost time, I better get going,' Diana Wayne thought as she looks at the clock in her bedroom.
It was Saturday evening and she was discreetly making her way downstairs into the entrance hall. She stops right in front of the grandfather clock, turning the hands in the certain direction Bruce had taught her. The sound of someone loudly clearing their throat snaps her out of her concentration. She spins around to see that it was only Alfred.
"Oh Alfred, you scared me for a second," she admits, sounding a little shaken. "I thought you were Eva."
The elderly butler gives her a comforting smile, surprised that he caught the seasoned Amazon warrior off guard. "My apologies, Misses Diana, but I thought that I should let you know that you need not be so secretive. Miss Evangelia has departed an hour ago with her friends to see a movie."
"Oh yes, of course," Diana says, remembering the reason for her daughter's absence. "And where is Bruce?"
"Master Bruce is on an investigation with Master Dick. Master Tim has taken Master Dick's position with the Titans," Alfred explains.
"I see," Diana replies as she turns her attention back towards the clock. She continues to turn the hands but nothing happens. She lets out a small groan of frustration.
'It has been too long since I've entered the Batcave.'
"Here, allow me Madam," Alfred offers, sensing Diana's annoyance. He steps forward and resets the grandfather clock. He turns the hands and was successful in revealing the entrance into the Batcave.
"Thank you, Alfred," Diana says gratefully. She was silently thanking Zeus and Hera that he was around.
"Of course, Madam, but if I may ask, why do you have the sudden need to go into the Batcave? You haven't stepped foot in there for years," Alfred politely asks, remembering his place as a butler.
"I have decided to call a meeting in the Watchtower with a few of the league members concerning our children," Diana explains. "I need to use the transporter to get up there."
"In that case, I shall assist you in setting the transporter up," Alfred says as he descends down the steep steps with Diana following behind him. Alfred powers the transporter as Diana steps unto the platform.
"Batcave to Watchtower, would you please be so kind to transport Misses Diana," Alfred speaks clearly into the comm. link.
"Alright, she's clear," the voice of Mr. Terrific is heard through the comm. link.
Alfred presses a few buttons, typing in the destination code and pulls down the lever, beaming Diana up to the Watchtower.
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Watchtower
Diana's figure reappears on the transporter platform of the Watchtower. She looks around her familiar surroundings and sees Mr. Terrific standing behind the monitor. He looks up to see her appear on the platform.
"Diana? Wow it has been a while. It's nice to see you again," Mr. Terrific says as Diana approaches him. He reaches out and gathers her into a warm embrace, which she gladly returns.
"It's good to see you too, Mr. Terrific," Diana warmly replies. It was nice to be back in a place she called her second home.
"Oh let me call your sister. She isn't on a mission now and I'm sure she'd be happy to see you. Wonder Woman, report to the Transporter Bay," Mr. Terrific says into the loudspeaker.
'Wow that sounds so weird…' Diana thought.
"I'm sure she'll be down within a few minutes," Mr. Terrific begins but was interrupted by a loud feminine squeal. All of a sudden a dark blur shoots past him, tackling Diana into a hug.
"Ddddiiiaaannnnnaaa!!!"
"Donna! Oh my goodness, it's so nice to see you," Diana says as she wraps her sister in a warm embrace. She takes a step back to take a good look at her.
Donna was the younger-if that's even more possible for an immortal-spitting image of Diana. Donna was wearing her version of the Wonder Woman outfit had her long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. She had a black halter top breastplate with silver stars adorning it. She had black, closely fitted pants beneath her knee high silver and black boots. She wore the same silver bracelets on her wrists and wore a white utility belt over her waist, with her own silver lasso slung at the side.
"Diana, it's so good to see you," Donna squeals, bouncing up and down like a child. "I haven't seen you since I was deployed for that mission in space for about a month."
"How did that turn out?" Diana inquires with much curiosity.
"Let's just say that I'm glad it's done with and that it's good to be home," Donna says, sounding relieved. "So what brings you back here big sis?"
"I've called a meeting in the conference room with a few of the league members about our children," Diana informs as she and Donna walk down the halls of the Watchtower.
"Why? Is something wrong? Are the kids alright?" Donna asks, spitting out questions before Diana could explain.
"No, no, the children are alright. It's just there's something that I can't put a finger on. Like I have a feeling in my stomach that makes me uneasy," Diana explains to her sister.
"A mother's intuition, huh?" Donna points out as Diana nods her head. "So how is my favorite niece lately?"
"She has been asking about you. She's wondering when she would be able to see you again."
"Oh really? What did you tell her?"
"I told her you were away on this crazy, out-of-this-world trip."
"Well, you're pretty much right," Donna chuckles at her sister's clever response.
They continue to walk down the halls in silence, making their way towards the founders' conference room. Memories came flooding back to Diana. She remembered how at first it was just her, Clark, Bruce, J'onn, Wally, Shayera, and John-the original seven founding members. Then, they began to recruit more super heroes and extended the Justice League after the Thanagarian invasion. The hallways were so familiar, nothing has changed.
'At the same time, nothing has been the same…"
Diana thought about how everything may seem the same physically on the Watchtower but underneath it all, the lives of its members changed dramatically. Ever since, the members in the league had gotten married and settled down, they all had to make difficult decisions. They had to choose whether or not they could let go of their super hero lives.
Clark had decided to continue to be Superman, believing that Metropolis still needed him. He still handled the league's business but he handed most of his duties to Kara. He no longer went on international crises or outer space missions. He stuck to Metropolis, which he believed to be the happy balance in his double life.
Bruce couldn't let go of the caped, vigilante. He and the rest of the Batclan had to rearrange their priorities and schedules when Evangelia was born. Bruce decided that he wanted to be around for our daughter, so he pulled out of the league completely, working solely in Gotham where he felt was needed the most. Dick a.k.a. Nightwing took on Batman's duties in the league. Tim decided to focus on college but filled in as Robin with the Titans when he was needed. Barbara, the former Batgirl and now known as Oracle, was the one who orchestrated them from behind the monitors.
Vic Sage was off and on the scene, still helping us solve difficult cases and using any form of possible evidence to find connections. He still had his job as a journalist but refused to take an occupation as a private investigator, saying that it's too obvious and people would get suspicious.
Shayera still drabbled with the league, saying how she felt that this was the only place where she could be fully useful. She had to wear her Hawkgirl mask when fighting crime though, that way if the reporters caught her on camera, Rex wouldn't recognize his mother on the six o' clock news.
Wally was still the Flash, claiming that there was no one else like him out there. He manages to work full-time with the league and still balances it out with his occupation as a mechanic for the KCPD. I guess the fastest man alive is the only one capable of doing it all.
Then there were others who retired completely and passed down their mantle to someone else.
I was one of those people. When I was pregnant, I felt that I couldn't put this baby in danger, so I passed the Wonder Woman mantle over to Donna. She was already my look-alike, so to the public eye it just seemed that Wonder Woman upgraded her outfit. Even after Eva was born I decided not to take up being a super hero again. I wanted to be there for my daughter, especially when Bruce was not. However, things don't always go the way you planned. Even without the league's business, I still found myself busy with embassy affairs. I usually felt guilty leaving Eva behind, especially when Bruce, Dick, and Tim were busy as well.
John decided that it was best for him to put away the Green Lantern ring and become a full time sergeant for the Marine Corp. stationed in Keystone City. He passed his duties to Kyle Rayner, whom the Green Lantern Corp. chose as their new recruit.
Ollie passed his Green Arrow mantle and duties to Roy Harper a.k.a. Speedy. He became a full-time, successful businessman. He offers his money to charities and begins fundraisers like Bruce. He also supports Dinah's very successful flower arranging shop.
Helena decided to be a full-time mother to Maddox and hung up her Huntress vigilante cape and mask. She took on a career as a high school teacher.
Dinah was the only one sadly, who had no other choice but to retire. Years ago, after being kidnapped and brutally tortured, she had lost her Canary Cry. Shortly after this terrible ordeal, she devoted herself into running her shop full time.
Donna and Diana finally reach the founders' conference room. "Well, here we are," Donna says as she punches in the authorization code.
They walk in, realizing that Kara and Clark were already in there. They were sitting around the circular table, occupying two of the seven seats. They seemed to be in a deep conversation concerning the welfare of the league. Donna pulls out her chair loudly enough to get their attention.
Clark and Kara look up, realizing that someone else was in the room. "Hey Donna, hi Diana," Kara perks in a chipper tone.
"Well for two metahuman supers, you think that you'd be more alert," Donna teases.
"I'm sorry, we've just been busy for the last hour discussing important league matters," Clark says putting his face in his hands. He looks up and sees Diana standing by the door. He gives her a warm smile and walks over to embrace her.
"Diana, how's it been?" he asks softly. Although, all of the children may be close their parents, however, don't see each other that often. It's only during holidays and barbeques that everybody gets together. But even for them they have to act so restrained around their children.
"It's been great," Diana says as she steps back and looks around the mostly empty room. "You're here early, though."
"Well, Kara and I needed a place to talk. Besides, I'm sure the others will be arriving very shortly."
Just as he says that Kyle Rayner enters the room, allowing access to John and Shayera. John was still in his Marine Corp. uniform. Shayera was in her civilian clothing because she was off duty for that day. Her once long, red locks of hair were cut short to shoulder length. Her wings were concealed by this bracelet that Zatanna and Dr. Fate made for her. Making herself at home, she presses the button on her bracelet, allowing her wings to be revealed.
Within a few minutes, Roy ushers in Ollie and Dinah with Vic and Helena right behind them. The only ones they were waiting on were Flash and the Batclan.
"Hey, twenty bucks that Flash would make it here before any of the members of the Batclan," Shayera jokes with Diana.
"Unfortunately, you'd win," Diana admits. Lately, Bruce has had a record of being late to meetings and important events.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blows in, signifying Flash's arrival. "Hey, guys sorry I'm late. Wait, am I late?" he asks as he turns his head around observing the amount of people in the room.
"No, you're just in time," Clark assures.
"We're just waiting on Bruce and the others," Diana clarifies.
"Oh, so whaddya know. I guess Bats is gettin' pretty old if I had beat him here-"
"…by a few minutes," a deep voice cuts Flash off.
Flash feels a hand on his shoulder and turns around to see that it was Batman. Nightwing, Robin, and Oracle were behind Batman, chuckling at Flash's predicament.
"Oh hey, Bats, man what's up?" Flash attempts to play it off as Batman just shoves past him. The other three members of the Batclan were still giggling as they made their way towards the conference table. "It's nice to see you again, too," Flash calls out.
Once everybody was through greeting each other they were finally able to start the meeting. In honor of the original founding members, the current superheroes allowed them to take their seats around the conference table. They also pulled up more chairs for the other league members.
"So what is this meeting about anyways?" Flash asks as he props is feet up on the table.
"It's about our children," Diana explains. "I know this may sound foolish and ridiculous but I have this unnerving feeling in my stomach. Like something is going on that we're blind to. Ever since J'onn told us to keep an eye on the kids I've felt like something is going to change."
The room grew silent. Most of the league members can relate with what she said.
"I've felt the same way too," John confesses. He takes his hand and places it over Shayera's. "We both feel the same way, too," he corrects himself.
"We've felt this way about Rex," Shayera continues. "But with him he has been acting this way for a while already, even before the incident with Faust. It's only recently he's acting like himself again."
"Well I don't know how the rest of your children are, but my Maddox is still the same," Helena says in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Wow, who knew the big, bad Huntress would hang up for cape and mask to become such a doting mother," Dinah says, her voice heavy with sarcasm.
"And who knew that the Black Canary would stoop to becoming a florist," Helena retaliates. Vic and Ollie grabbed a hold of their wives before they could claw each other's eyes out.
"Please, for the sake of our children being friends, can't you two try to get along?" Diana pleads.
"You see, the funny thing about this is, I think that this is their way of getting along, Diana," Ollie grunts as he plants Dinah back down in her seat.
"Well I heard that Maddox is no longer talking to Ophelia," Helena informs with a snobbish tone. Vic firmly seats his wife, clearly agitated that she and Dinah had to start this again.
"Oh really? Because I heard that it was the opposite way around," Dinah challenges as she turns to look at Helena.
"Quiet!!!" Batman raises his voice. The room suddenly becomes silent again.
"Now…J'onn said to keep a close eye on our children," Superman continues. "He didn't know the magical properties or the effects from the jewel, so it could be anything out of the ordinary."
Nightwing and Robin pass each other a knowing look, unsure whether or not they should speak up.
"If you have something to say, then speak up," Batman says in a monotone voice, sensing that his sons had something to share.
"Well, it started when Tim, Eva, and I were sparring," Dick begins. "Tim and I noticed something strange about Eva."
"Strange?" Batman asks, wanting them to clarify further.
"Yeah, she had been sparring with me for at least an hour long match," Tim continues the story, "and she didn't even break a sweat. I've also noticed some rapid growth from her lately, too."
"Is there anything else?" Batman asks, as he folds his arms and gets into a thinking position.
"We also think that Eva may also have regenerative powers," Dick blurts out.
This statement caught Diana and Bruce off guard. "How do you know?" she asks.
"To make the story short and simple, basically Dick was boxing with Eva and he hit her, causing her lip to split open," Tim says as if it were nothing.
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Batman shouts at Nightwing, unaware of that occurrence.
Nightwing raises his hands defensively, "It was an accident. I hit her out of instinct," he pleads in his defense. Bruce calms down a bit and begins to digest the information.
"Yeah, at least the wound healed up before we could even clean it," Tim says, trying to lighten the situation. Dick glares at him, giving him a look that was telling him to shut up.
"Has anything occurred with you son?" Vic points his question towards Clark. He was curious as to whether or not the boy had inherited his metahuman genes.
"No, unless you count getting into a fight in school and being a little odd as something to beware about," Superman sighs.
"Yeah, it's called being a teenager," Ollie jokes half-heartedly.
"Seriously, Clark is there anything you've noticed different about him?" Kara asks, trying to get him to say something. 'For a man with an array of different visions, this man can sure be blind at times,' she thought with grief.
"Lois did mention that he has been helping her do some heavy lifting around the house while I'm not home," he finally confesses.
"That can mean something," Diana ponders.
"How about you, Wally? Are your twins up to anything lately?" John asks.
"Nah! Billy and Lilly are fine. They seem normal enough. But they sure enough can move fast like their old man," Wally proudly says.
"You should keep a closer eye on your kids. Who knows? Maybe they've inherited your speed," John states.
"Well I suppose it's time we should conclude," Diana suggests. "We don't want our kids to come home and realize we're all missing."
"Where are they?" Batman asks.
"They went out to see a movie," Dinah answers.
"They all did?"
"Well, no. Valen is at home. He's still grounded," Clark informs. "Anyways, we continue to really keep a close watch on children this time and really pay close attention. They're now showing some signs of powers and abilities."
"This parent conference is adjourned," Diana concludes.
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So what do you guys think? Let me know whether or not I should do more chapters like this.
Read & review plz!