Author's Note:
For those of you who may not know… DC has introduced many new colours to the whole 'Green' Lantern mythos. These new colours represent the emotional spectrum of sentient beings and grant the respective Lanterns their unique powers. Green is for willpower, Orange is for avarice, Red is for rage, Blue is for hope and Violet is for love, and so on…
There are Green Lanterns, Orange Lanterns, Blue Lanterns and so forth. There were even Black Lanterns.
The Adara Entity is the embodiment of Hope in the DC Universe. It appears as a large, blue, bird-like creature.
CLXI
Happy Endings
Part One: A Final Farewell
The two days following the world-wide appearance of the Justice League were busy ones for Bruce Wayne. As the acting President, he had a nation to put back together. And as the CEO of Wayne Industries, he had a company to put back together as well. He also had a pardon to arrange for Fritz Hollmann (which was surprisingly easy).
It was only on the third day that he was able to leave the Pentagon in order to return to Gotham and celebrate his thirty-third birthday… at his wife's insistence.
Raven had remained busy as well.
The Champion of Magic had a Universe to put back together.
On the first morning, she had 'rescued' Barbara and Clark from the amorous clutches of Themyscira after the Amazons' celebration had carried on throughout the night. With the rays of a new dawn, the proud warriors had finally succumbed to sleep in each others' arms.
After Diana's discreet suggestion of the night before, Barbara and Clark had done the same, finding their own private paradise high atop a waterfall and finally falling into slumber exhausted.
They weren't hard to find.
Barbara had been initially upset with Raven's heavy-handed exile to Themyscira, but the last Green Lantern softened once the Champion of Magic explained the punishment she had been required to inflict upon the Guardians. It was a side of her she did not wish her sister to see.
In truth, the once-mighty Green Lantern Corps had now been tragically reduced to twenty-one members, spread far across the Galaxy - while the Guardians of Oa were reduced to little more than caretakers for their dead, cursed by the same Gods they had once enslaved.
At the end of Raven's sad tale, Barbara had only one question.
"…So if the Central Power Battery on Oa is now offline to the Green Lanterns, where will we get our power from?"
"There can be Green Lanterns no longer, Barbara Gordon… The legacy of the Guardians of Oa has ended. As you were the last Green Lantern chosen, you shall now become the first Blue Lantern. Your power will come from the Blue Light within your heart… This is the power of Hope, my sister."
"The power of the blue light in my heart? Sounds wonky, but OK... sure. So how do I become a member of the Blue Lantern Corps, Raven?"
"Retrieve your Lantern and simply speak the oath of a Blue Lantern."
Raven and Clark watched as Barbara magically pulled her own Lantern from a pocket dimension and then inserted her Ring into it, reciting the new oath that Raven provided her.
"In fearful day, in raging night,
With strong hearts full, our souls ignite.
When all seems lost in the War of Light,
Look to the stars, for hope burns bright!"
Once Barbara had completed the oath, Clark watched in wonder as her outfit magically changed into something entirely different…
The familiar green-and-black became a blue hooded cloak, secured by a circular emblem in the pattern of a bird spreading its wings. A dark blue corset now clung to Barbara's slender hips and waist, creating a diamond against angled black thigh-high boots. A tight, white body-suit hugged the curves of her body beneath the cloak and corset.
Long red hair cascaded beneath the indigo cloak as Barbara critiqued her new look.
"This new look sort of reminds me of your outfit, Raven. Except more… y'know… slutty."
Raven chuckled.
"You may change it as you wish. Simply hope for a new one and it shall be. Regardless, you are now a Guardian of Hope, Barbara Gordon. Welcome."
"Thanks… but you still didn't answer my question, Raven. If my power truly came from the 'blue light of my heart', then I'd never need to recharge my Ring with this Lantern, would I?..."
"True. Your heart is the conduit of the Lantern's power which is provided from the Goddess of Hope."
"Fair enough… as long as she's not strung up on some far-off planet. She's cool with all of this, right? What do you know about this Goddess of Hope? What do I call her?"
"Some call her Adara, but you may call her sister… or Raven if you prefer."
Barbara and Clark both stared dumbfounded at the dark-haired young woman who calmly stood before them, unable to speak…
Until the fiery-haired Blue Lantern finally found words again.
"Raven?! You're powering the Lanterns?! And you're a Goddess?!..."
"I have always been a Goddess, Barbara. I have simply acknowledged my divinity and taken on the aspect of the Goddess of Hope, as an incarnation of Adara.
As both a Champion and a God, I have chosen to share my power with the remaining twenty-one Lanterns that are currently spread across the Universe. I shall be their Central Power Battery and continue the Lanterns' legacy. That is my choice."
"… Can you even do that?! I mean, are you powerful enough to do that?"
Raven smiled as she replied.
"Judge for yourself, Blue Lantern."
As Barbara concentrated on her Ring, she became enveloped in soft, blue light and suddenly flew into the morning sky above. As she performed various aerial acrobatics and spins, her joy was apparent. As she touched down again beside them, her happiness was overwhelming as both Clark's and Raven's spirits were uplifted within her light.
"I can sense things! It's like I'm an empath! Am I an empath, Raven?..."
"Blue Lanterns are capable of many things. These things you will learn shortly. You need only keep Hope alive in your heart and search your Ring for all possibilities."
"Holy Mother of…! It's like the entire database of the Universe is in here! Damn! This is awesome! Hold on, I'm just looking something up… I can teleport?! Yes!"
"Use this knowledge wisely and carefully, my sister. We will discuss the roles and responsibilities of this power later. But now, I regret I must leave you for awhile…
I have twenty new Lanterns to meet across the Galaxy. Also, I'm throwing a surprise birthday party for Bruce in two days and I would like you both to be there. Here's your invite..."
On the second day (after Barbara had explored her newfound powers as a Blue Lantern), she and Clark had the difficult task of arranging a funeral for Clark's brave father, Jor-El. But this could not be a conventional funeral…
Jor-El's Kryptonian necronaut suit upon still contained the very alive and very malevolent spirit of Ra's al Ghul. After they had said their farewells and thanks to their Amazonian hosts, Barbara teleported herself and Clark to the rooftop in Shiruta where she had played out her most desperate gambit… gambling the fates of Clark, Jor-El and Ra's al Ghul.
Silently, the lovers both stared across the city of the dead.
Clark suddenly grasped her hand and she returned his grasp in kind.
"A lot of tragedy happened here… But this is also where you saved my life, Barbara."
"It was your father's sacrifice that saved us, Clark. He never even had a moment of doubt when I explained my plan… He was willing to risk everything on the slimmest hope that your life could be returned to you."
"But it was you who gave him that hope. I only knew him briefly, but he was the bravest and most loyal man I have ever met… To live among the dead like that for eternity, waiting for me. I could never imagine the strength of his mind to fathom such a thing and still remain sane."
Barbara held her lover close.
"He only cared for your happiness… until the very end. His dying words were for me to be with you."
Clark was confused for a moment.
"…Is that why you sought me out?"
"No… Parts of me fell in love from the first moment I saw you, Clark. As I learned more about you and what you stood for, I fell deeper and deeper. But with that first kiss, I became yours, body and soul."
"And I was yours even before then… when you called my trodden soul away from the edge of the Abyss. I knew at that moment that true love waited for me on the other side."
"Always."
They kissed once more, a union of souls joined by fate, two beacons of hope shining across a dead country.
"Are you ready to do this?" Barbara inquired once their lips had parted.
"As ready as I'll ever be..." Clark paused. "But are you ready? Are you sure you don't need Raven to help? You've never tried a teleportation to another dimension before... And you have to bring the necronaut suit too."
"How ready I am is up to you actually. For this particular trip, I have to depend on your hope, lover. Your heart has to be my power source. I let Raven know of our plans though, just in case. She said she had some business in New Genesis to take care of."
"Alright… but what exactly should I hope for, my beautiful and brave Miss Gordon?"
"Hope that your father's sacrifice was not in vain. Hope that he was able to contain one of the greatest evils this world has ever known. Hope that by containing the spirit of Ra's al Ghul, your father Jor-El was able to give us - and all other lovers in the world like us –our chance to be happy and live."
That part was easy.
In a flash of blue light, they suddenly appeared where Clark had stood at his darkest hour only days before… upon the bleak shores of Oblivion. The exact spot where Teth Adam had stood three millennia before that, mourning the passing of Isis.
The black waters of the afterlife now crashed into the coastline below, bringing painful memories with its briny spray back to the Man of Steel. Barbara stood beside her lover, placing a warm arm across his broad shoulders
"I am here, Clark. I won't leave you."
"Looking down at those dark waters again… It's like it just happened… like my heart was torn in two. I still miss her, Barbara."
"I know you do."
"I promised Lois that I would continue her mission to bring mankind together and find our place amongst the stars. I just hope that she was able to finally find peace out there."
"With hope, anything is possible…"
Anything.
Clark was shocked when he felt a cold hand brush against his cheek – to look up and gaze into the ghostly face of Lois Lane!
The glowing spirit of his first love had materialized before Clark in all her glory. Even as an apparition, Lois Lane was clad in the formal dress of a President, an image of professional confidence tinged with the sadness of a familiar smile.
"Hey Sailor."
'Sailor'… Oh dear God, it really was her! It had always been her pet name for him…
"You didn't think I would leave without saying Good-Bye, did you, Clark?"
"Lois… I missed you so much! Do you have to say Good-bye?"
"I do."
"There are so many things I have to tell you…"
She placed her ghostly finger on his quivering lips before he could continue.
"I'm ready to go now, Clark. Because you no longer have to bear my dreams alone… You have this wonderful woman to help bear them with you. That was my one regret."
"Regret?"
"…That I burdened you with too much, Clark. With all the grand things that I wanted the world to be, that I would replace the man. You who could have had the stars."
"I didn't want the stars, Lois… I only wanted you."
"I know you did, dearest… And that blind love almost caused you to follow me into this dark place. That was my only regret, Clark… That when I died, the love and dreams we shared would drag your gentle heart into Oblivion. You do not belong in this shadowed place."
Clark ran his hand along the incorporeal, spectral curve of Lois's cheek.
"Lois… a part of me died when you were taken away. You were my first and only love. I want you to remember that, always… I did stand here, ready to follow you into Oblivion… but love called me back to life.
I wanted you to meet Barbara Gordon, so that you'll know my heart is in good hands. She first saved me as a woman as I teetered upon these bleak shores... with nothing more than pure love and promise. She then saved me as a newborn Green Lantern, pulling back the very threads of Fate to be with me.
And now, as a Blue Lantern, she has given me the greatest gift I have ever known…
The chance to say Good-Bye to you, my lovely Lois. To say how goddamned sorry I am that I failed to save you and allowed the cruel Fates to take you from me… But also to tell you that I will always carry your hopes and dreams in my heart."
Lois smiled at them both.
"It is this new love you hold in your heart that allows me to find peace, Clark, not old hopes and dreams. Such things are not necessary for my journey. I also wanted to thank you, Barbara… For your gift of allowing me to share in your love and a chance to say farewell."
Barbara looked sheepishly up at the spirit of Lois Lane.
"You're welcome, President Lane. I'm sorry if I asked too much."
With maternal ghostly guidance, Lois took both of their hands and joined them together. Clark and Barbara stared into one another's eyes as Lois pronounced her final blessing upon them both.
"Each of you has allowed my soul to find eternal happiness… The love I bear for Clark allows me to remember who I was. The love you now share will carry me across these long, dark waters. The hope you have given me will allow me to endure and light my way until that time when I may smile upon the Fates themselves.
Be happy, be together, and be in love. Never part from this shining beacon that has saved our souls, my Sailor. Farewell…"
They both watched in reverent silence as the spirit of Lois Lane glided far from the shore, to the irresistible call from beyond, floating above the waters of Oblivion until she finally faded into the mists.
As Barbara turned to Clark, she saw the tears that had fallen down the cheeks of the man she loved more than life itself, and squeezed his hands apologetically…
"… You knew I made that happen, didn't you?"
"I figured it out, yeah. Truly, Hope is a very powerful thing… I didn't even realize you could do that."
"… I didn't realize that I could do that either... I felt the weight in your heart when you looked out to those waters, and it made me sad. I only hoped that one day you would be able to find peace with the memory of Lois, and then… Poof! Her spirit was suddenly floating in front of you. I'm sorry, Clark."
"Don't be sorry. Don't ever be sorry for such a kind thought. Even if you didn't mean it to happen, it still worked, Barbara… I finally got to say Good-Bye to her. The weight has been lifted. Our Love will carry her across the dark Seas…"
"And our Hope shall allow her to persevere."
"Funny… When you strip it all away, you're left with your spirit, memories and emotions."
"My sister told me that's what our souls are made of."
"My father said the same thing… Don't tell Raven, but your adopted-sister is one of the few things in existence that actually frightens me. Thank God she's on our side."
"Actually, we're on her side… But you should come to grips with those fears, Clark. After all, Raven is one of the nicest people I know. Maybe if she was your sister-in-law, that could help you overcome these anxieties..."
"Sister-in-law?.. How would that?... Ohhh…."
As the full impact of Barbara's hint finally hit Clark full in the face, his fiery-haired lover grinned mischievously… while carefully studying the fingers of her left hand.
"It would be nice to have a diamond on this other ring finger, don't you think Clark?"
"I… ahhh… suppose it would."
Barbara sported an enormous grin and then winked at him.
"A girl can hope, can't she?"
Clark took her into his arms.
"You can do more than hope, Barbara Gordon. I have every intention of making an honest woman out of you… But we should finish what we came here to do."
"Of course… And then you should meet my father, Clark. After all, if you're courting me for your wife, you should go about it properly. He's very traditional."
When it came to Barbara Gordon, Clark knew he never stood a chance of not marrying her. He would meet her father and ask James Gordon for his daughter's hand… but first he would have to find the biggest blue diamond ring he could.
But first, they had to put his own father to rest. As he picked up the necronaut suit, the two of them quietly took to the darkened skies of the spirit world.
With Barbara by his side, Clark flew the makeshift coffin containing the spirits of his deceased father and Ra's al Ghul to the deepest depths of the Sea of Oblivion… while he prepared to say his final Good-Bye.
With Barbara now hovering above, Clark placed his head against the alien metal suit and whispered a quiet eulogy to the soul contained inside… The last son of Krypton making his final peace with a father he had barely known.
"Farewell Jor-El, my father. May you find the peace you deserve and share in the love you have created… And… Dad, I just want you to know that I'm going to marry that bright and beautiful red-headed Earth-girl, have lots of children with her, and hope that I can be half the father that you were… Good-Bye, Dad."
With a dull pain in his heart, Clark finally let go of his burden and watched as the strange alien suit splashed into the icy depths below… finally submerging into the dark waters of cold Oblivion.
As he hung in the air, Barbara levitated down and slowly put her arms around the last Kryptonian… Gently wiping away the tears her man had shed for a father who had given his life to save his only son.
There were no other arms Clark would have chosen to have around him, and no other woman that could have soothed his pain as Barbara Gordon did.
"I love you."
It was the first time they had actually said it… and they had spoken it in unison.
With a passionate kiss and the power of hope, the lovers suddenly returned to Barbara Gordon's condo in Gotham in a flash of blue light. There was a bed that they required…