*A/N: Well, here's the final chapter! Hope you enjoy it! And for those of you who stuck with me from the beginning, I thank you and really hope you enjoyed reading the adventure as much I did writing it *hugs*! I have had some readers PM me about a sequel…. Who knows, maybe there will be one in the future… But until then, ENJOY!
"So," asked Green Arrow as he, Green Lantern, and Superman exited the Watchtower's infirmary- finally restored to their human forms, "how badly do you think we scared Luthor?"
"-Man, I wish we could've stayed to see the look on his face when the smoke cleared!" Flash laughed, joining the group's conversation. "He's still probably freakin' out!" He continued to laugh, leaning against Superman's shoulder as he tried to catch his breath, recounting the fear in Luthor's eyes when Superman had him pinned to the floor.
"If you ask me, he deserved it," Diana sharply added as she and Shayera joined their friends on their trek to the Watchtower's main observatory.
"I still think we should've made the effects of that gas permanent," Shayera said grudgingly, checking her arms for any remaining signs of fur, and looking over her shoulder, grateful that her wings were restored. "After everything he put you guys through, it's only fair that that filthy rat get a taste of his own medicine-"
"-The hallucinatory effects of the gas should last at for at least three days," Batman interrupted as he acknowledged his teammates in the observatory. "More than enough time for Luthor to experience the effects of his splicing serum," he added, while running a thorough scan of his and his friends' physiological diagnostics on the main computers. "The important thing is that our ordeal is over," he paused and looked down at his hands, gratefully, before resuming his work at the keyboard, "and after altering the antidote, we're now immune to the splicing agents in that serum in case the Legion tries to pull their little stunt again."
"Good thing, too," Superman sighed with a relieved chuckle. "I don't think everyone was capable of handling the idea of being turned into animals," he laughed before directing his friends' attention to Booster Gold- still scanning his arms for fur, and wildly spinning in circles, looking over his shoulder and begging Skeets and Vigilante to check his backside for any lingering signs of a tail.
"Yeah," added Flash. "Don't know about you guys, but I was starting to get used to being a fox! If we'd been stuck like that any longer, I probably would've had to learn how to walk upright all over again!" He joked, before taking a long swig from a large bottle of mouthwash, and gargling obnoxiously.
"What are you doing?" Green Lantern asked as he and Arrow watched the Scarlett Speedster continue to wildly swish the minty liquid in his mouth.
"Hey, I actually had to bite one of those goons back there!" he replied, still gargling the mouthwash as he spoke. "I may need to mix in some bleach if I ever want to get the taste of sweaty calf out of my mouth!" Flash continued, cringing as he spoke. Cynically, both men exchanged glances.
"At least we know the chemicals didn't mess with his sense of humor," Lantern sighed before turning away from the computer to speak with Shayera, leaving Batman to further analyze his team's status as the antidote finalized its effects. His attention fixed on the computer, it wasn't until he heard the sound of footsteps approaching from his left, that he acknowledged his teammate's presence.
"How's it look?" Diana asked, standing beside him and reading over his health-status report of Green Arrow.
"The antidote has completed its task; and the immunity component is proceeding to take effect," he explained robotically, still staring at the monitor. "Unless the Legion manages to-"
"-I meant your leg," she interrupted, directing Batman's attention down to his now-bandaged ankle. "Flash told me about that trap in the water," she said, her eyes still focused on Bruce's leg as she imagined the barbaric device, and what it must have been like to feel it nearly snapping around his unassuming ankle. "I never got to thank you, for getting me out of that warehouse," she said shyly, "but, what I should really tell you, is, 'I'm sorry'," she said solemnly, much to Bruce's confusion. "While I didn't want to- didn't let myself- see it at first, I know why you made Superman and I stay behind. If we hadn't, we may never have gotten out of there alive," she said, stepping closer to Bruce, "and I thank you for that too." Diana continued, her eyes still looking down at his bandaged ankle, before she quickly looked up and pecked him on the cheek.
Surprised, Bruce froze briefly, before turning away in embarrassment. Smiling, Diana indulged his actions, imagining the ears of his cowl dropping as they would have when they were still animals. Regaining his composure, Batman managed to suppress the flighty sensations in his stomach, before repeating his initial prognosis on the computer.
"We can officially ensure an end to this experience," he declared, his voice softened by the lingering kiss on his cheek. Unless the Legion were to reconfigure their serum to combat our formula- if they somehow managed to learn of the immunity component- there's no way we'll have to go through this again."
"That's a relief," Superman sighed as he and Shayera approached and joined the conversation. "At least now I can sleep soundly, knowing that the only way my hair will ever turn white again, is with old age," Superman laughed before running one of his hands through his black locks, then directing his attention to the main computer monitor where his friend continued to thoroughly scan his own readings for any remaining traces of wolf DNA. Skimming the readings over Bruce's shoulder, Clark suddenly noticed that his friend had removed his cape. Leaning against the computer, he picked up the long piece of black fabric and held it in front of his friend's face. "You too?" he asked with a humorous- but understanding- grin. Looking over Clark's shoulder, Bruce soon noticed that he too had also removed the bright red, flag-like piece of fabric that typically flowed behind him.
Briefly looking over his own shoulder, Bruce quickly redirected his attention to the computer and closed his studies, before taking his cape from his best friend's hands and, trying to force back an embarrassed grimace, admitted that it may take some time before he could wear it without mistaking it for… "something else…"
"I know what you mean," Superman laughed in a whisper, not realizing that Diana had overheard their embarrassing admission.
"As crazy as it sounds, I think we'd all gotten used to it to some degree." She agreed, looking down at her hands and arms- finally cleared of all spots and rosettes. "I admit, I'm going to miss those yellow eyes," she smiled, looking at Batman, before turning her attention to the Man of Steel. "I kind of liked the white hair too…"
"Some more than others," Superman joked to Diana, before Flash and Lantern joined the conversation and added their own input.
"Yeah," said Flash with a sarcastic groan. "Now when people sneak off, I actually have to look for them," he sighed as his eyes crossed and he looked down at his nose.
"Well, at least now we can go back to using communicators to stay in touch," John added, jokingly looking at Bruce. "We don't have to listen for Batman's 'singing'," he humorously continued, much to everyone's agreement.
"I'm still waiting for Bats to admit he's done this before," Flash laughed.
"Same here," Superman and the others chuckled, much to their friend's irritation. "You sure we should be calling you Bat-man?" Clark laughed, only to have his comment countered as his best friend voiced his opinion.
"I'm starting to wonder if Lex was on to something when he tried to make rugs out of you guys…"