Ch 27: Reconciliation
XxXxX
AN: Ah! You guys! Someone is filling my prompt from chapter 15! It only has three chapters up right now, but so far it's like, exactly what I imagined. It's called One Thousand Days Later by TheWanderingStory. You all should definitely check it out. (Warning that the first chapter is a lot like the beginning of the "Better World" episode, but don't let that turn you off! It quickly diverges after that.)
Also, I posted the first chapter of my next story, Peace, Freedom and Strength, AKA, my take on the Young Justice/Justice Lords plot. Go check it out!
Now, without further ado, I present to you: the Final Chapter. (Aside from the epilogue)
XxXxX
Earth-12, -10 Minutes After Wally Returns Home (AWRH)
John makes a special effort to snag one Richard Grayson while Wally is occupied saying goodbye to the others.
"You take care of him, now." He clamps a hand on Nightwing's shoulder and stares down at the younger hero, daring him to squirm or otherwise appear unprepared for the serious duty John's entrusting him with.
It's not just anyone who has the strength of will to put up with and take care of everyone's favorite speedster, after all, and it's not a duty John hands off lightly. If there's a voice in the back of John's head reminding him that this boy has been doing exactly that for longer than John's even known Wally, well, that's not the point. It doesn't matter which of them is Wally's best friend. It just matters that he's looked after.
Dick doesn't squirm, though. Instead, he nods solemnly and raises his hand to pledge, "I swear, from one of Wally's best friends to another, to do the best I can for him."
From one of Wally's best friends to another.
John doesn't twitch at Dick's recognition of Wally's feelings, nor the implicit acknowledgement of John's insecurities. He just nods and lets the boy go. "Have a safe trip home."
"Thanks," Dick says earnestly. "I think we will."
XxXxX
Earth-12, -3 Minutes AWRH
"M'gann." The girl in question turns immediately towards J'onn at his call. He gestures for her to come over to him, and she moves away from the loud, excited mess that is her teammate's attempts at goodbye. "I'm glad I caught you."
"I wouldn't have left without saying goodbye to you! I'm not that anxious to get home." J'onn smiles at her earnestness. He had never been afraid she would simply abandon him.
"I know. I wanted to give you this before you left," he says, pushing a heavy box into her hands. M'gann hesitates and he nods, encouraging her to open in. She gasps when she does, and it's only her telekinesis that keeps the contents from hitting the ground when she surges up, and throws her arms around his neck. Luckily, J'onn's remembered a lot about these kinds of things from spending the last week in her presence; he immediately returns the tight hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squeals excitedly inside his mind and out.
"You're most welcome, M'gann," He replies verbally so he can take in all of the joy she is sending through the remains of their link. He tries to take in as much about this moment as he can; he knows this will be one to hold on to in the coming months if loneliness threatens to overwhelm him again.
She eventually gets her wordless happiness back under control enough to send him an image of how happy Gar will be to see his gift. "It will so make his day. I can't wait for you to meet him!"
That surprises him. He had been under the impression that this was goodbye for good. "Meet him?"
"Yes, of course!" She continues, oblivious to his preconceptions. "We'll certainly invite you to come to our C'eridyall Celebration, if we don't see you sooner. I assume you already have plans here for Thanksgiving?"
"Th-thank you. I would very much enjoy that." It had been millennia since he had anyone to celebrate the Martian Goddess of Life's patron holiday. Of course, he hadn't had a reason to celebrate it before a few years ago anyways.
"Great! I'll send you the details when once we've pulled everything together." The others are motioning for her now; it's finally time to go. She gives him peck on the cheek and scoops up his gift before hurrying back to the teleporter platforms. As they prepare to leave the station, she waves at him one last time. "See you next month!"
She's gone before he can respond, but he can't help but think to himself, Yes. I'll see you next month.
XxXxX
Earth-12, 22 Minutes AWRH
The Caped Crusader finds himself, once again, in the dark amongst the monitor womb's computer bank. The medics had been unhappy to realize he had the codes to override their orders, but there were things that needed to be done.
Still, now that the danger was passed, and the League was getting back on their feet, he couldn't get Dick's words out of his head.
"You know, you didn't have a file on Damian in there."
Could it be true? Could he and Talia have a son? To his shame, it's certainly not impossible. Perhaps a better question is: does it matter? Just thinking about it hurts, but he daren't make a thoughtless, emotional judgment. It cuts Bruce to the quick to pin it down, to examine it from every angle, to analyze it as he would an external mystery. It's a necessary pain.
Does it matter?
Yes. It does matter. If nothing else, he needs to consider the biological implications for Batman's defense systems. He needs to place contingencies in case Talia tries to pull something public, something that would inconvenience Bruce Wayne. Certainly there are plenty of logistical details to consider, if he really wants to be thorough.
Other than that, no, it doesn't matter. He won't let it. The past few days are evidence of how vulnerable he is to such a relationship.
Not my son!
Batman is Gotham's protector. Batman is a leader of the Justice League. Batman's first and only priority is justice. He can't risk that, and his potential son's happiness, out of a selfish desire to play house.
I'm happy.
Dick's determined insistence weighs on the back of his mind, not quite letting Bruce's oh-so-logical argument rest. With some reluctance, he puts aside his work. It only takes him a few keystrokes to pull up a search on the last known location of Talia al Ghul. It's not hard to find her; she's been remarkably stationary for the last three years. Bruce's throat is tight as he digs deeper, into the Shadow's recent movements and the rumors surrounding their Lady al Ghul. With every new discovery, his fear (his hope?) becomes an increasingly likely truth.
A voice cuts through his hyper-focused attention before he can allow himself to consider what this means.
"Bruce! There you are!" He turns to see Diana stalk into the monitor womb. Her hands are flexed into tight fists, and her eyes are more than a little narrowed. He doesn't think she's going to punch him, but he decides he should probably at east give her attention if he wants to keep it that way. "How could you? You missed them leaving! You missed saying goodbye to Wally and now you might never see him again." She hisses the last part with far more venom than she's usually capable of.
It's a struggle not to let her reminder hurt. He tells himself that he chose this, and that he knew what he was doing. That it was best this way.
It doesn't stop the pain.
"I doubt we've seen the last of Wally. His signed, mint-condition Star Trek: The Original Comic Book is still in the closet of his apartment. He'll find a way back to get that if nothing else."
"If I didn't know you any better. I'd think you were making a joke. That's really the excuse you're going to go with, though, isn't it?" He shrugs as much as the armor of his suit will allow, and starts to turn back to the computer. The Amazon's super-strong grip on his chair stops him. "I'm not laughing, Bruce."
"I wasn't joking, Princess."
"Princess? You won't even use my name? What? Was I getting too close? Are you going to push me away like to did Dick?" Bruce flinches. "What are you so afraid of? What's wrong with letting us in, or at least showing us you care? If you can't face your counterpart's son again, then fine. But you couldn't even give Wally the courtesy of a goodbye? What possible reason could you have for that?"
"I might not have let them go!" He shouts back at her. He immediately regrets it, and tries to backpedal. "No! I mean. That's not true. I don't think I'm that selfish. I just…" He's at a loss for words again. How can he admit that he couldn't bear to say goodbye to another person – to more people – that he loves.
Damn those two for getting to him.
He starts to turn back to the computer – maybe activity will focus him enough to continue, or at least cover his pauses – when he finds a pair of arms thrown around him. Diana's not using her Amazonian strength. Batman could throw her off if he wanted to.
Bruce lets her keep hugging him.
"You're not selfish Bruce. It's okay to love them, and to be sad that they're leaving." All traces of antagonism are gone from the Amazon's voice. She's all sweetness and sympathy. Bruce silently marvels at her ability to switch so freely between such intense emotions. To let things go, or to go with them, rather than holding back and analyzing every thought and possible action. To so freely offer comfort to someone dear… Again, Dick's words come back to him.
It's not selfishness to let people in, Bruce.
"I… I know that."
She doesn't believe him. He doesn't believe himself. "Do you really?"
"It's… becoming increasingly clear." She nods. They both know that's closer to the truth. Diana has always been good at dealing with his worst moods and seems to sense that he doesn't need to be pushed further right now. She lets him brood quietly for a moment, offering only physical support. Even when he turns back to his search, she doesn't push it, instead asking him what he's working on.
Bruce hesitates. "I… Dick mentioned something that has led me to believe that I may have a son."
"That's wonderful, Bruce!"
"…With Talia al Ghul."
Diana's jaw drops. "Oh. Oh. That's not good." Bruce opens his mouth, ready to defend his past indiscretions, when she continues. "You're not going to leave the child to be raised by unscrupulous assassins, are you?" She looks genuinely worried until he shakes his head.
"I was going to plan an extraction now."
She nods in approval. "This could put you up against the entire League of Shadows… I don't doubt your ability, but I am here, if you need help."
There was a time when he would have taken offense to that. He's willing to be honest with himself about this, though. He's been in her head so he knows she doesn't doubt his skills. Plus, she's right. He will need help to do this. Unfortunately, bringing Wonder Woman-the-honorable-but-obvious-warrior into a den of ninjas is probably not the best of ideas. Then again, that's not the only thing he'll need help with.
"This will probably take me a few days to put together, and I've been away from Gotham for too long already. Is there…" He hesitates. He's never asked this of them before. In fact, he's expressly forbidden it. "Would you be willing to run a few patrols through Gotham for me?"
He eyes widen, but she doesn't hesitate to answer. She crosses her arm across her chest and bows her head, as if swearing an oath. "I would be honored to guard your city in your absence, Batman." Her formality assures Bruce that she will take this seriously. It eases a bit of the weight on his mind, making his next move obvious.
"Are you linked with J'onn? Can you ask him where Shayera is?" He asks, and she nods.
Bruce will admit that the founders new proclivity to remain linked when on the Watchtower has its uses, even if he's not willing to participate himself yet. "I'm going to need a stealth specialist."
XxXxX
Earth-16, 1 Hour AWRH
"Don't tell me it's illegal! Find a legal way to do it then! Luthor's out, and that mean's he's got something up. No. You're going to give me everything. Uh-huh. Yes. Well do that then. Have it to me by next week. No no, thank you. You're a dear. Kiss, kiss to you too, darling. Bubye now." Lois Lane-Kent, Ace Reporter (And Don't You Forget It) finally hangs up the phone and spins her chair to stare down her brother-in-law. "Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."
"It's good to see you to, Lo. Harassing your contacts again?"
"Clark's contacts. Mine know better than to try and stall me." Lois tosses her hair, dismissing the very idea that someone could keep information away from her. After a moment, she drops the tough reporter "act" and smiles. "Welcome home, Conner."
Conner returns her hug when she moves to embrace him.
"Smallville should just be getting out of a meeting with Perry, if you want to wait at his cube."
"I know asking you to stop calling Clark 'Smallville' is a losing battle, but could you at least say a little less like an insult? That's my hometown you're talking about there."
Lois waves her hand dismissively. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Conner rolls his eyes. He's about to retort (not that he thinks he can win, just that he has to try) when Clark comes around the corner.
The older Kryptonian no doubt heard their whole conversation, but he still smiles like Conner's presence is an unexpected surprise.
"Conner! You're home!" For the second time in as many minutes, Conner finds himself pulled into a tight hug.
"Hey Clark. Just wanted to see you before I head over to Ma and Pa's."
Lois smirks. "Ah, yes. We were just discussing your darling hometown. Care to weigh in and help even up the odds for your poor brother?"
Clark has this ridiculous, goofy grin on his face as he looks between Conner and Lois. "I think I'll avoid the fight and just enjoy having you both here for a bit." He turns fully to Conner. "How long are you home for?"
"For good, I think," Conner says with a smile.
"Really?" Clark's voice is cautiously optimistic.
"We beat it. Well, him."
Conner finds himself pulled into a hug-sandwich between the two reporters. They know how much that means to him, to all of them.
"Congratulations." Lois whispers, letting go.
"That's not even the best part." Conner pauses, for effect. Lois should approve. "We got Wally back. Our Wally."
"Really?"
"Yeah, you'll never believe what he's been up to. He's a founding member of his League! Besties with your counterpart and everything."
"Now there's a weird thought."
"And you – we! – have a cousin. Oh Lois, you would like her. She gives Clark so much grief."
"Sounds exactly like my kind of girl."
"She is! I just… I can't wait to tell you all about them."
"How about we pack up early, then, and, uh… head over to Ma and Pa's house. So you only have to tell us all once."
"I'd like that."
"Well, I suppose my exposé on Luthor can wait until tomorrow… I expect embarrassing stories about Clarks counterpart in recompense, though!"
"Lois!"
"As you wish, dear Sister-in-Law."
"Conner!"
Lois and Conner laugh their way out of the building, with poor, beleaguered Clark following in their wake.
XxXxX
Earth-16, 2.5 Hours AWRH
"Kaldur'ahm!" King Orrin of Atlantis calls out as his former apprentice attempts to sneak surreptitiously into the side of the audience chamber. With a wave, the King dismisses his other courtiers for the day; his protégée's visits are few and far between these days, and often far too short. There's nothing so important going on that it can't wait until Aqualad's next departure.
"My King!" Kaldur greets his King with a bow. "I mean, your Majesties!" Kaldur attempts to correct himself as Queen Mera enters the room. She is having none of that, however.
Mera pulls her former student into a hug. "Don't be like that, Kaldur. You're our son's godfather. That makes you family. And, as I keep telling you, family doesn't have to be so formal."
"Of course, My Queen." Kaldur replies, only a little cheekily. She swats him lightly on the shoulder for his smirk, and steps back so her husband, too, can embrace Kaldur.
"But really, how are you?" Aquaman asks his apprentice. A quick glance over the younger Atlantean seems to put him in good health, and even better spirits. "You look well. Or at least, better than you have been." Orrin hates to be too optimistic, but something seems… different about Kaldur this time. Certainly, his back and brow are straighter than they have been in years. Even Kaldur's eyes seem to be shining with a happiness that's been long missing.
"I am, My K- Orrin." Kaldur catches himself. Even after all this time, Kaldur still can't shake the ingrained training from his youth. Still, his Majesties' answering smiles put him more at ease, and he can't help but share the tale of their most recent adventures.
"This is wonderful news indeed!" Orrin exclaims as he finishes. "We shall have to contact the League. There should be a celebration for your accomplishments!"
Mera nods in eager agreement. "We're so proud of you, Kaldur," she says, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Uncle Kaldur?" A small voice interrupts the moment. The three Atlanteans turn to see a small mess of auburn hair peak into the room. "Uncle Kaldur! It really is you!"
The young boy slams into his mentor with remarkable gusto, leaving Kaldur gasping a little at the impact.
"Hello, Prince Arthur."
"Aw, c'mon Uncle Kaldur. You're doing the formal thing again." The boy frowns and scuffs his shoe, a very surface-dweller-type motion that he must have picked up from Kaldur. "Does that mean you're not going to be around long?"
"No, Arthur. " His mother soothes. "Kaldur's just been through a lot, and keeps forgetting that he's allowed to relax around family."
"Indeed." Orrin agrees. He puts one arm over his wife's shoulders, and another over his protégé's, pulling his whole family close together. "I think Kaldur's going to be with us for a long time yet."
XxXxX
Earth-16, 4 Hours AWRH
"And then I bet he was like 'Ahhh!' and you guys were like 'whoosh' and-"
"Gar! Calm down!" M'gann pulls her little brother into a tight hug to still his movements. "It's late, and you're getting yourself all worked up again. You'll never get to sleep at this rate!"
He pulls away only enough to rub the back of his head in chagrin. "Eh-heh. Noted. Sorry."
She leans down – much less than she used to have to, she notices – and gives him a kiss on the forehead. "It's okay." She ruffles his hair, and he gives her another hug.
"I'm so glad you're back. For good."
"Me too, Gar. I've missed my baby brother."
"Missed you too." He mumbles into her shoulder. He must really mean it too, as he didn't protest her calling him her 'baby' brother. M'gann smiles down at him. He's going to love this.
"I got you something, though."
"Really?" She was right. He is excited, if the way his tail is twitching is any indication.
"Did you brush your teeth?"
"Jeez, M'gann." Gar rolls his eyes. "I'm not five."
"Did you?" She presses.
"Uh… I'll go do that right now."
This time she rolls her eyes, but his quick detour to get ready for bed gives her enough time to retrieve the colorful box from her room. Gar's thrilled when he returns. "Cool! Souvenir."
She catches his hand before he can open the box.
"Some things were a little different in that world. J'onn track them down fro me. I thought you might want to see them, since ours were… lost when we lost Mount Justice."
His face settles into solemnity as he realizes what she's talking about. Expectations raised, he unwraps the paper slowly, almost reverently. Tears begin to form in his eyes when Gar sees what's inside, and M'gann pulls him in for another hug.
"The show went a lot further in that world, huh?"
"Six seasons and a movie."
Gar hesitates, but finally reaches out to touch seven DVD sets arranged in the box.
"Have you seen them yet?"
"No. I was hoping to watch them with you."
"I would like that. I'd like that a lot. Can we watch one now?"
"It's pretty late…" Gar folds his hands in a plea for her leniency, just this once. "…But I guess just one wouldn't hurt."
He opens up the first set, and lets her put the DVD into his laptop. They sit together on his bed turn out the lights, and watch the first episode of Hello, Megan! to exist in their world for years
XxXxX
Earth-16, 1 Day AWRH
Jason's not spying. He's not. He's making tactical observations. Of his sleeping family. It's not weird, not with everything that's going on. The Team's back. They brought back Wally too. The Anomaly's taken care of.
Dick says he's home for good.
Jason doesn't care (really), but the rest of his family seems be on either end of "Yay! Dick's back obviously we need to cuddle" to "Ha, yeah, you're not leaving again if I have to lay on you to make sure of it." That's the only explanation Jason can come up with for the mass of bodies in and around Dick's bed.
Oh, Jason's sure it started with Babs ambushing Dick in his own room. It probably would have worked too, if it weren't for the demon-child's magical cock-blocking sense going off. Dick's too nice to push his baby brother away after being gone for so long, so that's likely how the three ended up snuggled chastely on top of Dick's comforter.
Damian's presence is probably what drew Stephanie to curl up on the near edge of the bed. The blonde girl loves annoying Damian with kindness; it was probably worth all the inevitable kicks and complaints from Damian to sandwich him in hugs. Stephanie's arrival is probably what brought Cass in. The former assassin has curled up on the floor at the foot of the bed, and looks utterly content to be there.
Jason can't guess when the Replacement joined the rest of his family. Tim probably just bumbled in at some point, lying about needing a place to study or something. That'd explain why he's curled up with a textbook in Dick's window seat.
Whatever their motives were to begin with, they'd all fallen asleep at some point or another. Since that point, someone –Alfred, there's really no question about it – had tucked them all in. Jason notes that Dick will be pleased to wake up under a Hello Kitty blanket.
Suddenly, a hand touches his shoulder, and Jason thanks his Robin training that he doesn't start and wake his siblings up. The strong arm that follows the hand and drapes across his shoulders confirms his sub-conscious expectation. He only somewhat reluctantly allows Bruce to pull him into a tight hug.
"It's nice to have everyone home and together, isn't it, Chum?"
"Yeah, I guess. If you really think having to deal with all of Dick's annoying quirks and made-up words and hugs is nice."
Bruce squeezes him a little tighter. It's nice; Bruce has always been big and strong and safe.
"I missed having him home too, Jason. I missed him too."
This time, Jason doesn't try to lie in protest.
XxXxX
XxXxX
Earth-12, 3 Days AWRH
The League of Shadow's guard passes below Shayera's perch right on schedule, almost down to the second.
If these are the people who trained Batman, I suddenly understand so much more about him.
She doesn't say it out loud, and wouldn't have, even if they hadn't been operating under radio silence. Shayera knows what a big deal it was for Bruce to ask her help, and doesn't dare needle him lest it push him back to being his former self.
If she's honest with herself, though, that's not the only reason. The truth is, she's grateful to be here. She needs the distraction from Wally's absence and, quite frankly, she's pleased to have her skills recognized. Even the heroes that have accepted her past still tend to forget that as a soldier of Thanagar, she was recognized as one of the greatest in the areas of stealth and reconnaissance. As much as she usually enjoys brashly smashing things, Batman's invitation made her realize how much she missed actually utilizing the skills she honed for years. She accepted his request for help immediately. Well, immediately after she got over the shock of being asked to help at all.
That kid changed you Bruce, far faster than we ever would have. Between him and Artemis, I guess I have to admit that Wally's in good hands.
Her melancholy doesn't distract her from the task at hand. She's too well trained for that. A moment after she finished with the thought, the loneliness in that thought is chained behind the iron walls of her mental focus. It's probably not the healthiest way to deal with the sudden upheaval in their lives, but at least she'll have the consolation of having been useful when these feelings come back to her later, after the mission is done.
The next patrol turns the corner, and Shayera makes her move.
In six seconds, and the guard is down, sent into unconsciousness with only a few seconds chance to silently struggle. In sixteen seconds, the body is hidden in the very shadows this organization claims for a patron. In sixty seconds, all three roaming patrols for this section are out and hidden. No alarms go off.
Shayera moves on like that. The guards are perfectly predictable, so as long as she moves fast enough, she can take down every man in a team before one realizes something is wrong and raises an alarm. As she moves deeper into the League of Shadow's compound, her surroundings become increasingly opulent. Her opponent's abilities do not seem to scale similarly, even if their numbers do.
Eventually, she reaches the door that Batman said leads to the quarters of one Talia al Ghul, heir to the Demon Head… and possible mother of his child. She itches with curiosity given that last fact, but doesn't go in. She's to rendezvous here with Batman in the next minute, and if his Shadow's training holds he'll be… stepping through that doorway. Right on time.
Shayera's curiosity of the room isn't relieved as the Dark Knight slips out of their enemy's living quarters. She's too preoccupied by the toddler in his arms. Despite her earlier vow to be as agreeable as possible, she can't help but smirk. "Well would you look at that? And they say I got in bed with the enemy."
Batman doesn't deign to acknowledge her comment. "I may have been able to persuade Talia that this is for the best, so we shouldn't need to run, but we can't count on it. If Ra's disagrees, he'll send his men out to wherever he'll expect me to be. The roof is the most obvious choice. Did you clear the lower levels?"
"I'm here, aren't I?" This is said with much less venom than she might otherwise have used. She can't help but feel that Bat's (oh great, now she's using her brother's stupid nickname) normal gruffness is just a smidge overshadowed by anxiety tonight. "They were as predictable as clockwork. We should have a clear path out."
They're already moving, Batman with the toddler cradled to his chest, and Shayera with her wings spread, providing as much cover for her encumbered teammate and his innocent cargo as possible. It's a tense, quiet few minutes, but soon enough they're out, as silently as they came.
Then, they're in the Batplane, safely charted for Gotham; League emergency teleporters were deemed too risky for the child's development. The child – Damian – was calm throughout their whole escape, and is now apparently content to sleep in his father's arms. Batman – Bruce – has been staring down at him, though what he's been thinking, Shayera can only guess. He still seems somewhat stunned by the whole ordeal, as if he didn't really believe he was going to find his son here tonight.
"Shayera." His voice is low, so as not to wake the boy, but pitched to get her attention. Like he isn't aware that she's been watching him watch the kid. "I… thank you."
"Of course." She inclines her head. Something about the sentimentality of what she's been witnessing must have gotten to her, as she can't help but tack on, "That's what family's for."
Batman blanches. "This may have been a mistake. I don't know anything about family."
"Don't worry about it so much. If nothing else, you know there's no way you're as bad as the alternative."
Shayera's not sure if his next exhale can be counted as a laugh or not. She adds, "Clark's going to be insufferable about this, you know. Diana too. Ugh. I can see the cutesy faces now."
That one was definitely at least a chortle, even if he does look more resigned than happy. "I suppose that's all true. They certainly won't let me much it up too much."
"None of us will, Bruce." She thinks the Dark Knight meets her eyes, though it's hard to tell under the cowl. Either way, he inclines his head, and returns his attention to the child in his arms.
Shayera allows herself a small smile. She thought things might get dull with her brother's departure, but it looks like things aren't going to be too boring anytime in the foreseeable future.
XxXxX
Earth-12, 5 Days AWRH
"Whew! Sorry I'm late, everyone! I didn't realize quite how bad the time lag is when you're jumping that many dimensions. Did I miss anything?"
"Wally? What are you doing?"
"Uh, it's Wednesday at 5:30. We have our weekly founders meeting?"
"But, you went back to your own dimension, with your family-"
"Yeah, and I came back for the meeting. What, did you guys think I was irresponsible enough to skip just because I've been on temp leave to hang out with my family? C'mon guys. You know me better than that. Although, seriously, it'd be nice if we can keep this shortish. My Aunt was baking cookies when I left, and if I don't get back quick, my Uncle and cousin will eat them all..."
The rest of the founders continue to stare at him, dumfounded.
"Okay… so this is getting kinda uncomfortable." A new thought suddenly occurs to him. "Did… did you not want me back?" And the pain in that one little statement unsticks the other founders. Suddenly, it's a rush to assure the speedster that yes they still love him and of course they wanted him back.
"We just didn't think you were coming back, what with your family all being over there."
"What? First of all, that's obviously not true," Wally says dismissively. "Secondly, I may have taken some time off to go see everyone, but that doesn't mean I'm irresponsible enough to miss the Weekly Meeting. Jeez, Bats, aren't you the one that's always telling me how important these things are?"
"But- you went back to another dimension!" Shayera insists.
Wally peers at her. He's beginning to understand their confusion. "I think you guys are seriously confused as to how the TD tech works. I mean, yeah, it's less convenient than just teleporting up here, but still. Three teleports is still way more convenient than, for example, trying to get across Central during rush hour. Now that the Anomaly's gone and we don't really have to worry about stuff following us across dimensions, it's no problem to hop back and forth. Which, again, is the reason I'd like to keep this shortish. Aunt Iris' Cookies are on the line here, guys."
"Does that mean you'll be coming back?"
"You guys thought I wasn't coming back?
"Maybe?" Clark offers.
"Smerggfn…" Wally throws his hands up in frustration. "Of course I was coming back. I, like, barely said goodbye to you guys, for one thing. I still have my job here, for another. Although, FYI, Ollie's offering us this awesome house in Star City to bribe us into living closer to him, in case a certain Billionaire Playboy wants to make a counter-offer…"
"No."
"Darn. It was worth a shot. Artemis hates it when rich people give her things anyways. She'll probably push for us to get another apartment closer to Keystone University or something instead- did I tell you she was going to transfer here to try and get her Doctorate? Oracle's having a field day trying to create a fake academic background for her here… I'm getting off track again. Sorry."
They're not mad, though. Even J'onn, who had plans to keep in contact with M'gann, was operating under the assumption that Wally was going home, for good, and that they wouldn't be seeing much of him anymore. To find out that they're not really losing him at all… J'onn feels how pleasantly surprised – to put it mildly – his family is. He imagines there is very little that could ruffle their feathers after this news, even if Batman inevitably feels the need to try.
"Let us continue, then. Clark, you said Lois uncovered something about Luthor's potential movements? What do we need to know?"
As simple as that, it's back to business as usual.
XxXxX
Earth-12, 53 Days AWRH
They've convened for their weekly meeting, and are waiting for Wally when it happens.
"Ohhh! Hey! You guys are the Founders!" A yellow and red blur rushes in. It stops for moment at the end of its sentence, revealing a young brunet in a speedster costume poking at J'onn's cape.
"Howdoesthiswork? Are you, like, technically naked?" Another blur, and the boy's next to John. "You're the GL here, aren't you? That's like, totallycrash! Ibetyou'remycoursinWally'sbestfriedhere, huh?" The speedster's speech is speeding up, but 'My cousin Wally' is clear enough to them that no one moves to take out the little chatterbox. As if in answer to their dilemma, a familiar voice suddenly echoes down the corridor.
"Bartholomew Allen!"
The Flash boy flinches. "Whoops! Timetogo!" and then he's gone, only to be replaced a moment later by a speeding, clearly frazzled Wally.
All they hear is, "WhenIgetmyhandsonhim, sohelpme…" Then he, too, is gone.
Finally, one more scarlet blur rushes in, sans cowl. This one is a blonde man who's quite a bit older than the other two. "Ha ha. Sorry about that, you guys." The newcomer rubs the back of his head in chagrin. "We came over to visit Wally, then Bart got hit by some sort of ray thing, and now he's, like, regressed to the maturity of a little kid. We'll have him rounded up in a flash though! Haha…" The man looks more and more uncomfortable when they just stare back at him.
Finally, Batman stands up and heads for the door. As he passes the older speedster, he pauses. "I have to check on my son, but I'll be back on the Watchtower in two hours. Fix this. If I find so much as a single disrupted piece of paper…" The Caped Crusader trails off, and the blonde man flinches.
"Haha, yessir. We'll take care of it." The Dark Knight seems satisfied with this reply, and continues on his way, exiting with a swish of his cape.
The speedster huffs. "Well. I guess I better go help my nephew wrangle up my grandson, eh? It was, uh, nice meeting you guys!" He's gone with a cheery wave and a scarlet blur.
Shayera expresses their confused reactions best; she simply shakes her head and puts her face in her hands to muffle her laughter.
XxXxX
AN: Holy cow, please tell me how you like this. Especially the founder's parts, but also just the general flow. I wrote the Team's sections ages ago as their own chapter, and had the League's stuff planned, but then I threw it off with the way I booted Wally out two chapters ago. Does it make sense? Does it feel okay? Please, please, please tell me, because I'm going to be really sad if I made it all the way to this point and then let you guys down.
Thank you all for sticking with me so long, dear readers. You're the best.