An Apprentice's Future
By: Malaizjan Dejesus & Reina Grayson
Author's Note: This is the climatic installment of the Batman Beyond Saga. Everything is coming together and this is the crossover fic. If you're a fan of either this series or Young Justice, than you will enjoy this! I am going to list the theme songs to various DC tv series and most of the theme songs can be found on Music of DC Comics: 75th Anniversary, which is available now, and the YJ Theme song is on its own album titled: Young Justice, which is also available. So if you don't have them, I suggest you go and buy them both!
Also, I had lots of help with this story. Reina Grayson deserves half the credit in getting 80% of this fic done. This is also the final chapter. Thanks to Reina for helping me do this fic. There is some swearing but I think it's like 2 words. Just a warning…
Chapter 22
Back at the Greyson home in Bludhaven, Marik stared at the family photos of his family, seeing what he had stolen from him. His face did not hide his anger or hurt that he was robbed of his life.
Serenity and Dick didn't know how to console him. There were no words...
And Mathen and Orin could only watch as Marik stared at the photos...
"The beach. I want to go to the beach." Marik turned around to stare at his twin and best friend.
"C'mon then." The three young men left the house for the beach.
Areina followed them since she was outside.
"Dick, I can't bear to lose him again," Serenity told him.
"I don't want to either but he will be gone again."
"Only until the baby is born," said Carlos, walking into the kitchen. "I can give him a second chance. It means I won't be Kid Fate anymore. But this...this is worth losing my powers over."
"Carlos, the spell to pull off such a thing has to be ancient."
"It is, but afterward, you get the last book you're missing from your grandfather's collection." Carlos remarked. "And you're supposed to have 2 babies, but you lost one. I can replace that baby's soul with Marik's. That way, he can be reborn. And I have that spell."
Serenity couldn't believe what she heard. "I can't ask that of you."
"Let me right this wrong. You two helped look after me. Let me do this for you."
Dick looked to his wife.
She saw his answer. So she responded the same. "Ok."
BBBBBBBBBBBB
The three Musketeers were still happy to be back together, even if it was only for a little longer. Areina knew there was more that Marik wanted to tell her, so as he was using his Tier 5 earth magic to make sand castles, she decided to say something. "Marik?" Areina remarked.
"There's so much I want to tell you, but I don't have time for everything. You know your mother had an instinct about Mathen. I could see into the future even the day I was born and I saw that she cared so much about my brother," Marik stated.
"Mom wasn't around Mathen enough while we were in the past, but I'm just happy to have gotten the chance to talk to you. When Orin and the others came to the past after Meygan freed them, Orin told me that he remembered me, but it wasn't until that moment. He told me that you saved me from Deathstroke. He mentioned later on that you wouldn't let dad take me from the stroller a couple of times on the day of mom's funeral," Areina said.
"That's right; I didn't know why, but I saw you die in a vision, so that day I did everything I could to protect you. I remember one thing Aunt Reiena liked to do for Mathen that made him smile EVERY time; she would make a fire bird and he'd laugh as it flew around. He even did something to her that made him laugh….whenever her hair was in his reach, he'd pull it," Marik said, thinking back. "Me, I was the quiet one. Maybe because I could see things before they happened."
Areina laughed, and Marik smiled. He had given her a memory of her mother that was special and she would always remember it.
Just then Mathen and Orin came back from a short swimming contest, which Orin won, and that's when the boys knew they could do something to impress Areina.
"You've heard that twins have a sort of telepathy right?" Mathen asked.
"Yea." Areina answered hesitantly.
"Well, we're going to give you your wedding present early," Marik said next, catching his brother's train of thought. He had missed it.
"We can't do it without you bro," Mathen said to Orin.
"Of course, and I know exactly what you are thinking of." Orin smiled and started to use his Atlantean magic to pull in some water and Mathen quietly summoned fire while Marik pulled some sand up.
The fire became a small sun and as the water moved around it, rainbows covered the area. It was the sands turn as it gave the rainbows a beautiful background to become even more brilliant on.
Areina wanted to cry, but she didn't want her family and fiancé to see it, so she quickly wiped her eyes, and smiled. "Thanks guys."
The four then hugged, and Marik felt that something was about to happen…his time was just about up.
BBBBBBBBBBBB
Marik dragged himself from the beach and over to Carlos, who was waiting. His time was up.
The entire team, the previous generations and the current one were there to say goodbye. Meygan kept looking around, as if she was expecting a fight.
Marik stood before Carlos, a sadness to his features. He knew he had to return, but he didn't know that Kid Fate had other ideas. "I'm ready."
"Alright." Carlos nodded and Lady Merline stood behind Marik. "There can't be any interference." He took a breath and let it out slowly.
Meygan took to the sky, waiting patiently for the "interference".
Carlos the recited the ancient spell that he memorized. It was spoken in an ancient tongue, one no one knew of.
Marik felt his soul being pulled again and he closed his eyes as the weightlessness took him.
Lightning streaked across the sky.
Meygan was ready.
Marik lost all sense of conscious thought.
Serenity was ready.
Then Carlos started the second half of the spell and Marik's soul entered Lady Merline's extended belly, much to the surprise of everyone there, all but Dick.
Doctor Fate raced toward Carlos at an accelerated rate.
Meygan punched him in the face, halting him and staggering the Sorcerer Supreme back.
The spell was still being cast.
"Out of my way child!"
"No." Meygan then summoned a rain storm to use its water on Doctor Fate. She surrounded him with a wall of water.
Doctor Fate struck her with lightning and her wall fell. He continued on.
Meygan then called upon her dark powers to bind him.
Doctor Fate had enough of Meygan's interference.
"You do not wish to fight me...demoness. I WILL win if it comes to that," Doctor Fate remarked as he struggled within the power that was holding him.
"You don't scare me, Nabu."
Carlos was nearly done with the spell at this point.
The former Dr. Fate was able to finally free himself by creating his special ankh and her powers were sucked into it.
Meygan just stood there, shocked.
Nabu then sent a blast at Meygan, hurling her to the ground.
"You think that's all I can take!?" Meygan remarked.
But the spell was complete. Lady Merline was now carrying twins.
Carlos turned to meet his father as Nabu landed. Meygan crawled out of the hole in the ground.
"I warned you," Nabu stated. "You have interfered with Fate, therefore your powers are forfeit."
"I knew that would happen and I don't care, but YOU were the reason for the injustice of Marik's death so YOUR powers should be forfeit, not mine!" Carlos said, still angry with his father.
Nabu held out a hand at Carlos to strip him of his powers.
"NABU!" boomed a voice as golden chained trapped Nabu where he stood. The Sorcerer Supreme could not free himself.
Meygan went to Carlos, not believing what she was seeing.
"We have MUCH to discuss, Nabu," the voice continued. Nabu then vanished from sight, with the Helmet of Fate floating where Carlos' father once stood. "Until we are done, Carlos, you will protect the helmet. You will never have your powers threatened again. We, the Master Fates, vow this." The helmet went to Carlos and he took it into his hands. "Do not worry demoness; your brother will have a second chance at life. Merlin and I...are old friends." Then the voice was gone, and Meygan smiled.
"A second chance…" Serenity said; her hands at her stomach.
"You're going to have twins in 3 months," Carlos said proudly.
Serenity was crying happy tears. In fact, everyone was. She hugged Carlos in thanks.
The world was saved.
Life was good.
Marik would return.
Fate was truly merciful.
Slade was livid.
He was back in prison, a high security one where he was in enclosed cell, only the window gave any light.
He sat on the bed, which was bolted to the floor. He thought of ways to get back at Meygan Greyson.
She was his new obsession. Not her parents. Not her siblings. Not even the archers.
Not even Ian, who somehow escaped when the LOD were being transported.
He had his suspicions about his so-called protégé.
At the moment, he wanted out.
A whistle came through the air.
A small gasp.
Slade fell to the floor, a hole between his eyes.
He was dead.
Outside, 200 yards away, the mysterious figure stood up, a silent high powered rifle slung over a shoulder.
The figure walked away, keeping to the shadows to hide the identity.
Talia a Ghul waited patiently in her cell as she was going to be transferred to a different prison.
A swirling portal opened suddenly on a wall, and Ebon's head popped out. "As per our agreement," he said to her.
Talia nodded her thanks and walked through, leaving her cell empty.
On the other side, in Ebon's hideout in Dakota, Talia smiled as Ebon took on a human form again. "You have the LOD, and I have a new body."
"Your plan worked out in the end. None of them fools will get out?"
"Not at all. Now, I have a new body to break in. Ebon, we shall meet again."
"Of course, Ra's a Ghul. We will." Ebon watched Talia walk away from him. He grinned.
The guards checked on Alex Luthor, only to find him dead on his bunk.
No one was in the cell with him. So his lifeless body was rolled out to the hall, covered.
Luthor's eyes were wide, frozen in fear.
Star Sapphire had been extricated to Oa to face the justice of the Green Lanterns.
Ian, Drow, Shriek and Inque would rott in jail.
As for Mordred, after booking him, Mordred was whisked away by a spell and the young immortal found himself in Britain...
Jason Todd made his way to the very tip of the large oak in Dick's yard at his home in Blüdhaven. He knew Meygan retreated there, giving Mona much freedom. He saw what she did with the LOD, and it impressed him. And only he had the guts to talk to her, after Marik was placed into Serenity to be reborn again. He got to the top, and Meygan was balanced, standing on a single branch. She looked regal standing as she was. "Hey, little girl."
"Hey, Uncle Jay," she said affectionately. "Are they afraid of me?"
"No. More like worried." He reached out to touch her shoulder. The cold he expected wasn't there.
"I just couldn't hold it back anymore." She sounded sad. "It felt right trying to handle Nabu."
"Dickie Bird said as much." He looked down at the ground….they were up high. "Why don't you come down and talk to them? They'll understand."
"Could they? I spent 10 years holding back and when I let go...I felt peace, real peace."
"Do you know what you can truly do yet?" He asked.
Meygan shook her head.
"Then go somewhere quiet and see what you can do. But let's go talk to them. They need to know you won't become another Trigon."
"What!?" She turned around to state in shock.
"I know you won't. But they don't. Reassure them. Then go learn about who you are."
"I know who I am. I know why I came back. I came back to protect the heroes from the dark shadows lurking around them. And I'm ok with that."
Jason grinned. "And me?"
"You came back to help me. We're the first line of defense for them."
They both knew why he came back. But he saw it from her prospective. He liked that idea. They can't die. Well, him in a couple of centuries but still... "I like that."
"Let's go then. Let's not keep them waiting."
3 Months later, At Bludhaven Memorial Hospital…
Serenity held two bundles of joy in her arms. Dick looked like a proud dad should. Mathen was near his brother; Molly near Reiena. Meygan was meditating in front of the windows.
The knock came.
Areina poked her head inside. "Everyone ok?"
"Yes. Let them in," Serenity told her niece.
The team and the old gen team crammed into the room, all wanting to be near the twins.
"Dick, you got them back, didn't you?" Wally said.
Dick stared at his best friend. "What?"
"That's what Carlos said." Wally shrugged his shoulders.
Dick and Serenity looked to Carlos.
"Reiena's soul was reincarnated. Her fire power is Meta, not magical. Meygan verified it."
"Meygan?" Her parents asked.
Meygan never stopped meditating, never stopped floating. "Yeah. She got her second chance."
The room erupted in cheers as the proud parents cheered.
They had their loved ones back.
Fate was good.
Areina was about to cry; she had her mother back, even though she was now 20 years older. "Can I hold Rei?"
Serenity held Reiena out and Areina held her close.
As if it were a Grayson kid thing to do, Reiena saw Areina's hair hanging close and she grabbed a small fist full and pulled with all her little might.
"Oh great, Marik's already rubbing off on her. Do twins have to be like this?" Areina asked after she yelped.
Carlos only smiled.
As if it were instinctive to do it; Areina used her fire power to create a fire bird and make it fly around her new cousin's head.
The room got quiet. They couldn't be seeing what they were seeing, right?
"I better get outside." Meygan smiled at her parents before leaving in a shadow raven.
Dick took his son from Serenity. He couldn't believe how lucky he had been his whole life.
Artemis had both hands on her bump. Wally's hands were over hers. "I am glad things are going to be back to normal now."
"Well as normal as a hero's life can be Aunt Artemis," Areina said, smiling down at the newborn girl in her arms. This one she could teach all of her tricks with fire.
"You got a speedster coming," Carlos warned the couple.
"We're ready," Wally said confidently.
Molly chuckled.
"So sis, is Rei going to fly?" Vincent asked.
"I'll show her how. It was hard at first, but hey, we Graysons are resilient when it comes to learning."
"Wait. Molly, why did you laugh?" Brian asked the team's healer.
Molly grinned. "Because that speedster Aunt Artemis is carrying is a girl."
Vincent and Brian were shocked.
Wally buried his face into Artemis' neck. "I'm doomed," he said, his voice muffled.
"And here comes the hollering." Dick stated.
Artemis merely smiled. "I already knew. Don't worry, Wally. She won't be any trouble."
Wally groaned. "Until she runs around the world..."
"Good thing I know 3 speedsters."
Bart groaned.
"Hey, I'll be there for my sis." Brian said, not knowing what he was getting into.
Serenity laughed.
The Master Fates were merciful indeed…