We own the rights to nothing of this story.
'Chapel of Love' is performed by The Dixie Chicks
The media-dubbed Tartarus greeted a new morning atop the roof of their base, all of them healed from the wounds inflicted upon them weeks before. Both the younger members were attired in their hero uniforms, Gar and Blackfire were suavely outfitted, the former in a crisp black and white suit, sans a tie. His alien lover wore a flattering black dress that tied around her neck, and was cut slightly above her knees, adorned with sparkles that mimicked the night sky in all its glory and splendor. It left a broad expanse of her back exposed, skimming across as far as it could reach along the small of her back without becoming indecent. Silvery bracelets decorated with amethysts clanged on her wrists as she shifted about, balancing on dark heels before sighing and settling against the shape shifter, who sat upon one of the raised portions of the roof. His arms looped around her waist and he nuzzled his face against the side of her neck, pressing kisses against her golden skin. She tilted her head to the side, moaning pleasantly and permitting him greater access as Ravager turned to Kid Devil, who lounged against the structure housing the stairwell, and mimed throwing up.
He chuckled at her antics though his soft sound was soon overwhelmed by the roar of engines and the assembly turned to a mauve, decidedly alien craft that cut over the water, sending up waves in its wake as it zoomed towards them. It altered its angle, rising to a position above their heads where it leveled out and came to a halt, the boosters on its broad wings rearranging themselves to allow its slowl descent upon the open space on the roof. Blackfire scowled as the propulsion system tossed her dark hair into a frenzy and ruffled her dress before she pressed it down against her legs. Gar caught a mouthful of her hair and sputtered before he managed to collect it in his hands and hold it. Ravager and Kid Devil backed away from the landing craft as it deployed legs that touched down lightly upon the roof, bouncing as they took on its weight. After a moment, the steady thumping of the engines dwindled to a whine before shutting off completely. There was a click and then a mechanical whirring as the hatch of the violet ship opened, bumping gently against the ground.
A short red blur charged down the ramp accompanied by a high pitch squeal, and Ravager had only the briefest of seconds before it crashed into her, knocking the air from her lungs and sending her toppling over. Kid Devil shot towards her, his eyes set, but she waved him away, laughing as the fuzzy creature adorned in bib overalls and a white shirt snuggled against her, wriggling into her grasp. Sitting up, she retaliated against the sudden assault by tickling the horned child who gave a rumbling sort of laugh, astoundingly deep for one so small. Another laugh joined the child's, and the rest of the group looked up to see two more figures descending from the ship's ramp.
Rosabelle Mendez had grown into her looks, becoming lithe and far more feline as her genetic mutation became more prominent, sporting a sinuous tail and pointed ears that she tried to hide behind her wild, auburn hair. Her once thick figure was decidedly curvaceous, and was dressed in a long-sleeved yellow shirt, which left her taut midriff bare, and tight jeans that stretched about her broad hips. Golden eyes, the pupils nothing more than narrowed slits, were focused on the child and teenaged girl, a sincere smile gracing her sharp features.
Beside her, powerful fingers clutching the slender waist of the dark woman almost possessively, was a tall and muscled blond man who carried a militaristic sort of air. A green shirt, the shoulders a darker hue and the chest region adorned with a large red star, fit closely to his frame and was tucked into olive cargo pants. In turn, they were tucked into black combat boots that clanged against the gangway as he strode towards them. He wore an easy smile as he waved towards the shape shifter with his unoccupied hand.
"Dobre rano, comrade," he called in greeting.
"I'm still fairly certain that what you're saying is 'doberman rhino,'" Gar accused with a smile, clasping the hand of the Russian hero, who chuckled as he stepped from the ship and approached. They shook hands before the green man turned his attention to the former luchadora, beaming at the woman as he took her clawed hand and pressed a lengthy kiss to the back of it that had her smiling and Leonid Kovar glowering, his green eyes taking on a glow.
"Still a charmer, huh, Gar?" she purred at the attention.
"Yes, he is. Though for how much longer remains to be seen," Blackfire warned, folding her arms across her chest. Giving an uneasy chuckle, he quickly stepped back and took his place beside the dark-haired woman who leveled a disapproving stare at him that he tried to ignore as he made introductions.
"The light of my world, my ever-loving glow, - have I told how absolutely wonderful you look today? Positutely, absotively stunning. I mean, really. – this is Leonid Kovar and Rosabelle Mendez – well, soon to be Kovar as well. That little tyke putting a thrashing on Ravager is Baby. Baby Wildebeest, by full title. Family resemblance is a bit shaky, but he's their kid. Good sir and madam, this is my midnight sun, Blackfire."
The golden woman extended her hand, shaking with both Rosabelle and then Leonid, who regarded her with narrowed eyes before asking, "Starfire's sister, da?"
"Unfortunately, yes," she nodded with a sigh.
"The cutest cat lady I know said that I could bring a date-"
"Now that I thought he could actually get one," Rosabelle taunted, interrupting Gar who stuck his tongue out at her in return before continuing.
"So, tall, dark, and ravishing deigned to grace us with her presence."
"I'll admit, I am curious to see how you Earthlings perform these little martial rituals," Blackfire explained.
"Continuing with the meet-and-greet, I'm sure you guys know Rose-"
"No, I just like leaving my children with complete strangers," Rosabelle scoffed.
"Have I ever mentioned that you were my favorite boss?" Ravager beamed as she played with Baby Wildebeest, his stubby fingers wrapped about her thumbs.
"And the boy who looks like an occultist's wet dream is Kid Devil. Good kid if a bit unoriginal," Gar assured the adoptive parents.
"Nice to meet you," Leonid offered his hand to the younger boy who accepted it nervously.
"Same to you," he returned and nodded in greeting to Rosabelle. "Congratulations. To the both of you."
"Thank you," Leonid smiled, proud eyes turning towards his love. Their eyes met and he suddenly bent down to press a quick, but obviously passionate, kiss to her full lips. A loud purr rumbled from her throat and her tail wound about his leg, its tip tracing the contours of his firm muscles. As they pulled apart, her golden eyes fixed on Gar as she demanded, "Are we ready to bounce yet? There are a couple of things I need to . . . attend to."
"I'm just waiting for one more arrival and then we're set. Got the luggage packed and everything," he nodded to a pair of suitcases beside where Kid Devil had been lounging.
"What 'one more arrival?'" Ravager demanded, her eyes narrowing as she looked up from the child in her lap.
A heavy black dufflebag suddenly dropped from the sky with a solid thud, Kid Devil yelping as it nearly landed upon him. Everybody snapped towards the sound of a whooping cry, their combative instincts evident, and a figure sprang into the air, twisting and tumbling through it before landing upon Gar's shoulders, hooking her legs under his arms to secure herself. He stumbled under the sudden addition of weight before he grabbed the slender legs and managed to right himself as his passenger tossed her arms up in celebration of the perfect execution of her acrobatic display.
"Tah-dah!" she cheered.
Chalk white skin made the red hair seem all the more vibrant as some of the straight strands slipped over one of her eyes, which she, futilely, tried to blow out of her face. Lithe and toned, she was attired in a flattering purple suit that left her shoulders and arms bared, aside from a few straps, their connecting points to her uniform hidden by orange flowers. A translucent red diamond provided a partial view of her cleavage and the upper body of her suit narrowed into a strap that met a mirrored strap from her pants, leaving the curving sides of her body bared. An electric green belt was slung diagonally across her flared hips, equipped with several pouches stuffed to the brim. For a moment, she simply sat atop Gar's shoulders and looked expectantly towards the others assembled around her, waiting for the applause she felt she was due.
Gar chuckled and pointed upward with one of his hands, "Ladies and gentlemen, meet Duela Dent."
"A.K.A., Harlequin, Joker's Daughter, Card Queen, Riddler's Daughter, Two-Face's Daughter, Scarecrone, Penguin's Daughter, Catgirl, and Jokester. Ooh! Plus, I came up with a few more," she added eagerly, ticking off each alias on one of her fingers.
"And what of that, whatever it means, warrants her to have her legs around your neck?" Blackfire scowled, again crossing her arms over her chest.
"What? Really? I mean she's – you know, you don't have to – I mean – seriously? She's like fifteen. Maybe," he pleaded futilely, her gaze only hardening as he tried to talk his way out of it. Sighing, he patted Duela's knee, "All right, off you go, DeeDee."
"Roger that, Mr. Lean n' Green. We read you loud and clear. And, dismount!"
She placed her hands atop Gar's head and performed a split before lifting herself up, balancing atop him for a moment, one arm straight, as he grunted, trying to keep balanced. Her arm bent slightly before she launched herself off, flipping through the air again before landing upon her feet. Beaming, she lifted her arms upward again before realizing that her audience was behind her at which point she did a swift about face.
"And I repeat: Tah-dah!"
When nobody awarded her efforts with an eruption of cheers, she put her gloved hands on her hips and huffed, "Geez, tough crowd."
"Objection!" Ravager shouted.
"Overruled," Gar returned as Kid Devil struggled with the heavy black bag.
"Hot damn. What the heck do you have in here?" he asked.
"Party favors," Duela answered brightly as she cartwheeled across the roof to the red-skinned boy. "Alley-oop!"
She helped boost the bag onto his back and then skipped around to pinch his cheek affectionately, "You know, looks aside, you're an absolute angel, aren't you? All right, sizzle pants, lead the way to the guest room, game room, aquarium, whatever. Double D needs some place where she can slip on her fuzzy Elmo slippers, warm her toesies, and get started on those sugar straws. Whoo! Well, more like get finished, you know what I'm saying? So, hey, are you red all over? Cause me, I'm . . ."
As they disappeared down the stairs, Ravager stood up, swinging Baby onto her hip and bouncing him slightly as she glared at Gar, "Please tell me you're joking."
"Kind of. But it's the serious kind of joke in the whole 'this-is-actually-happening-and-it's-funny-because-of-the-fact-that-it-is-happening' sort of way," Gar explained, illustrating his points with hand gestures.
Ravager's eye narrowed, "Every day, you dig yourself a deeper and deeper grave."
"And on that note, we have a wedding to attend to," Gar said, striding to collect the suitcases as Blackfire chuckled.
"The wedding's not for another two days," Rosabelle pointed out, smirking. "We could stick around a bit, help with the digging."
"Are you sure about that, moje laska?" Leonid whispered into her ear, his lips brushing across the pointed tip of her ear.
She shivered and pressed her body closer to his firm frame and gave a throaty chuckle as she looked back to the white-haired girl and gave a short, insincere frown, "You'll have to excuse me, Rose, but I'm afraid that I just don't have the time to stick around. And again, thank you for watching over Baby. We want him to be there, we just don't know if he could sit through the ceremony and everything."
"Mama," he called as she mentioned his name, reaching out for her, his blunt fingers closing on the air. She smiled, softer than usual, and strode over to press a tender kiss to his fuzzy forehead at which he giggled. He cradled her face before she could fully pull away and delivered his own sloppy kiss to her cheek as she cooed to him. Beaming, Leonid joined beside him, running his large hand over Baby's head who grabbed at his fingers and grinned up at him, "Papa!"
Chuckling, Leonid ran his fingers down Baby's face to stroke under his chest. He chirped happily at his adoptive father's attention and Ravager smiled at the scene as she assured them, "Hey, not a problem. Having a super-baby who's got a wee bit of an attention span problem at a wedding probably isn't the best of ideas. And the honeymoon? Well, just go a round for me. Plus, pay me the usual fee and all that."
The Russian hero frowned, "I'm not sure-"
"Thank you, Rose," the dark woman replied, smiling broadly as she traced a claw down the spinal processes of Leonid's neck, her eyes predatory. He coughed into his hand and nodded.
"Yes, um, thank you, slecna. Our most sincere gratitude," he said, his words short and rushed.
"Give mama another kiss before we go, Baby," Rosabelle asked of the child who responded eagerly to her request, leaning forward to acquiesce again. She stroked her child's head, reluctant to depart before delivering another swift kiss to his forehead and heading back to the ship, which Gar and Blackfire had already boarded. Leonid clapped his hand on Rose's shoulder and ruffled Baby's hair with the other as he nodded again.
"Dekuji."
Ravager returned his nod, "Dobro pozhalovat."
Like his soon-to-be-wife, he pressed an affectionate kiss to the child's forehead and whispered, "Sbohem, dite."
"S'bhem, tat'ka," he gurgled back, waving his fingers at his parents as they boarded the ship and the hatch closed. Leonid strode to the front of the craft, in the cockpit where he pulled several levers and twisting a golden orb set in the control console. The engines thrummed to life and the craft slowly ascended, climbing into the air. Above the console, numerous holographic displays flashed into existence, displaying both the outside environment of the craft as well as numerous readings.
"Have to say," Gar noted pursing his lips as he admired the interior, "that this is a pretty sweet ride."
"A remnant from the ship that gave me my powers," Leonid began, "It took us a while to put it together, but we managed to restore it to functionality. Now, it is my personal transport."
"Any interest in letting some of my guys take a look at this thing?" the shape shifter asked, continuing to inspect the ship, appraising it and nodding appreciatively. "This could jump-start a technological revolution."
"I feel it would be remiss of me to give you my ship, comrade, when I have not let my own government see it," he answered.
"Right, right, I get that," he nodded but then bobbed his head from side to side, "But, you know, Dayton Industries is a rapidly growing, international presence. And you know that it's got good leadership."
"Gar, even I know it's rather uncouth to be discussing business dealings now," Blackfire chided him.
He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck somewhat abashedly, "She's right. I'm sorry about that. Completely lost my manners there. Still, this thing is absolutely amazing. And it's not even the first alien craft I've seen."
"And you wanna know the best thing about it?" Rosabelle grinned as she strode up, her golden gaze mostly focused on Blackfire, confiding in her the secret. She pointed to solid doors to either side of her and her smile broadened, "Private rooms. With their own, quite comfy I might add, full-sized beds. Whatever this was meant to be, it was posh. Plus, autopilot."
"Autopilot?" Blackfire arched a brow.
"Autopilot," she nodded, her grin suggestive as her gaze flickered towards her fiancé. Leonid's cheeks colored and he mumbled something under his breath in his native tongue. Gar laughed as he clapped him on his back, joining him at the control console.
"Real carnivore, isn't she?" he murmured.
He nodded, "And yours?"
"Oh, most definitely," Gar chuckled as he glanced back to the woman who were conducting their own discussion. He looked back into the Russian powerhouse's green eyes and grinned, "But that makes it all the more fun, am I right?"
"'Fun,'" he gave his own deep, rumbling laugh and nodded, "Yes, it certainly is that. Very, uh . . . passionate."
"While I'm sure you boys are having a rather fascinating talk about work and all that, I think each of you could make a far better use of your time attending to your lovely ladies," Rosabelle purred as she draped herself over Leonid's back, her arms looping around his neck. Gar grinned at his friend as Blackfire came up behind him as well, pressing herself against his back as her arms encircled his waist. Her fingers dipped into the buttoned seam of his shirt, feeling his firm muscles underneath as she suckled on the tip of his ear.
"I think they've got a point, comrade," Gar grinned as each was pulled into a room.
"Russia is a long flight," he nodded. He swung Rosabelle into his arms, her arms still clutched about his neck as he carried her bridal style, his rough fingers stroking along her jawline. She responded eagerly to the attention, arcing her back and purring loudly.
"See you when we land?"
"And not a moment sooner," the woman asserted in concert as the doors shut.
The craft rose into the air, holding there for a second as it stirred up massive drafts of wind and its thrusters rearranged before swooping out over the water again. Ravager and Baby watched it streak towards the distant horizon, until it was no larger a speck than the not-so-distant seagulls and other avians that flapped over the roiling waves. After another moment, pure yellow eyes looked up to the sapphire blue of Ravager's remaining eye and she smiled at the baby as she headed towards the stairwell, "Why don't we see what sort of mess that clown's already made?"
"Clown!" he cheered, throwing his hands into the air and bouncing excitedly in her arms.
She laughed and then sighed, "Never been to Gotham, have you, kid?"
Heading down the stairwell, she hummed softly to Baby who watched her intently, mesmerized by the lullaby that was suddenly interrupted by the blaring of klaxons and the flashing of red lights. Ravager looked up at the whirling red light and then gave a sigh. She looked to Baby, who glanced at her again though his gaze drifted back towards the flashing beacon, as she questioned, "To business, huh?"
"Dah!"
His arms shot into the air again and he bounced in her arms, his enthusiasm obvious and infectious as Ravager laughed and tickled his rotund belly. She continued down the stairs as her nimble fingers darted between the barrier of his own and she nodded, "That's right, Baby. We're going to go kick some bad guy butt, yeah? Doesn't that sound fun? Yes, it does. Yes, it does."
Remember way back when when Gar made a call and found that his friends were getting married and he was invited to the wedding? Well, we didn't! We hope nobody minds, but we based Pantha, Red Star, and Baby Wildebeest more on their comic book counterparts than the show. It's a complete and utter travesty that DC ripped this family apart, and we assure you that it won't be happening here. Also, the Wildebeest from the show exists, Baby Wildebeest is his clone, the intended first of an entire army.
And Duela Dent! We really wanted to use her. Tell us what you think of her in these upcoming chapters. And if you want to get a better idea of her costume, go to comicvine . com and add this bit to the end: /duela-dent/29-5939/all-images/108-212421/duela_dent_05_001_01_/105-894165
I Be Sporks: Did you know 'Never Let the Truth Get in the Way (Of a Good Story)' is a song? A good one too. What are some of your favorite Gar lines from this story? Glad that you liked the last chapter and we hope you continue to enjoy. And, yes, Rose might stab you for that, and, no, Gar probably wouldn't encourage a relationship if Rose was his little sister.
As always, please review! After this brief wedding arc, we get to the actual arc we've been hinting at for a while. By the way, in the next few days, we might be adding a new story about the other Titans Teams. Keep an eye out, and please review.