Alright, everybody, time for the grand finale! Hope you all enjoy. And don't forget, there's an epilogue coming after this.
5.
Titan Tower
October 06
11:27 UTC
Hacking and slashing, Lilith fended off the beach born dobblegangers. While not actually powered, each displayed some form of their real life counterpart's style. The sand Artemis kept things long range, providing a distraction for the sand Superboy to get in close. He was the first to go down as the woman easily avoided a three punch combo and sliced him in half. The sand Kid Flash was next as he came in ahead of the Miss Martian form and was decapitated. Likewise, the sand Miss Martian was cut in half as she came in for a flyby punch. Everything Terra tried ended in failure as Lilith moved as if she knew what would happen next. There was no attack she did not counter or avoid and was always a step ahead of everything.
"Oh come on! How are you doing that?!" Reforming the first three sand forms, Terra watched as Lilith caught a sand arrow from sand Artemis and used it to take sand Aqualad down while using the Robin form as a human shield. She knew where the arrow was aimed at.
Across from her, the other three Titans fought Aqualad, overwhelming him with a combination of tactics and brute force. Arrowette fought hand to hand with her remaining slasher while Beast Boy forced him to focus more on a five hundred pound gorilla looking to wrestle him into submission. The way they were combating him made it easy for Lantern to sneak in and catch him off guard with a construct made to restrain him.
"How long can you hold it?" Arrowette asked.
"Once it's made, it's good," Lantern answered.
"Knock him out!" Beast Boy ordered. "Can't risk him getting free. And we have to help Terra."
"Sorry about this, Kal." Raising his ring hand, Lantern created a fan in the side of the construct, removing the air from inside until the possessed Atlantean passed out before releasing him. Arrowette quickly bound him just as Lilith came in to attack them.
"She's playing for keeps!" Arrowette yelled as she blocked another swipe from the red liquid sword.
"I got her!" Coming in from behind, Lantern went for an upward swing using a battle hammer construct and missed as Lilith moved the upper part of her body back.
Using his momentum, the will powered Titan brought the glowing green hammer around and went to connect with her when she ducked and delivered a straight shot to his face. Stumbling back, Lantern was replaced with Arowette who took several swings with her slasher. Every time she attacked, Lilith moved out of the way before she could ever be hit, or close to it. Even a point blank shot was missed as she gripped the crossbow and ripped it out of Arrowette's hand, delivering a blow to her head for the knockout.
"Ciss!" Coming to her friend's aide, Terra leapt from a suspended rock and went for a jumpkick to Lilith's temple.
Spinning, Lilith turned quick enough to grab the blonde by the hair and yanked her down to the ground. With the air knocked out of her, Terra could not move as her attacker twirled the sword shaped water bearer in the air and brought it down with the Earth Mover flinching while shutting her eyes. Just as it seemed the weapon would bury itself in her, Lantern came in and blocked it with a shield construct as Beast Boy attacked from behind. It was all a ruse as Lilith moved before ever striking the shield and allowed the gorilla formed Beast Boy to bodyslam his friends.
With Terra now knocked out, and Lantern stunned from the massive weight, Beast Boy found himself alone against an opponent who knew every move he would make. The attack was sudden as Lilith delivered a kick to his animal shaped face and knocked him backwards rear over head. Shaking his head, the shifting Beast Boy looked up to see Lilith falling from the sky with her weapon aimed for his chest.
"No!" Arriving before Lilith, Raven blocked the attack with her black energy by passing her hand before her. The weapon stopped in mid air but did not stop her from sweeping the Goth girl's legs from under her.
Planting her foot on Raven's chest, Lilith brought the water barer down, only to be stopped by Lantern who dove over her. His protective green aura blocked the weapon but it delivered a nasty shock to his body, forcing him to pass out from the mystics involved before being thrown to the side by the woman. Struggling to get free, Raven managed to only have her cape stabbed, an inconvenience cured as Beast Boy pulled her free with the weapon flying away, when a large shadow formed above them.
"Move!" Morphing into a jaguar, Beast Boy bit down on Raven's cloak and pulled her out of the vicinity of Trigon's cloven hoof. The ground shook from the force of the stomp with the front barely missing Lilith and the prone Arrowette by inches.
"What are you doing?" Beast Boy yelled. "Get back up there!"
"You're welcome, fool!" Taking off, Raven blasted Trigon's face with a massive dose of her majicks as Beast Boy watched her.
"Thanks," he whispered then silently hoped she could find a way to defeat her father.
Leaving Beast Boy to deal with Lilith, Raven flew back up to confront her father. The amount of mystical pressure was near unbearable, but she stayed strong as she blocked the heaviest of attacks while steadily absorbing all she could. More and more, she took in every ounce of spare energy and built it up until it had nowhere else to go but out.
Rising her hands over her head, Raven formed a large ball of black energy and let loose a powerful blast to her father's face where his chakra would be. Taking a step back, Trigon crashed into Titan Tower until he regained his balance and threw a backhand where his daughter was.
"I'm not backing down, dad!" Raven yelled as she delivered another strong shot to his face.
Blast after blast of Trigon's energy exploded around the lone Titan, Streaks of lightning aiming for his daughter shot past her as she weaved around them, blocking what she could and avoiding the rest. Still absorbing what her father was sending her way, Raven fought with everything she could until she was grabbed from the air after taking a hard shot from three bolts of energy released from Trigon's horns.
With the stunned Titan in his grasp, Trigon fed a steady amount of energy to keep her subdued. Bringing her close, close enough to where his breath blew her hair back, the demonic god growled as his eyes flashed brightly.
"It is too late. No matter what you do, your realm, their souls, like Azerath, are mine." The bass in Trigon's voice shook the loose rocks on the beach. "You, like your mother, provided me with what I needed to enter here, but you served me so much more than she ever did. All the anger, the hate, the fear you possessed being alone, all these mortals have provided as they sought to bring each other down in war, in blind hatred, in pettiness, it will more than sustain me here. And the pure ones...how they sate me."
Growling, Trigon inhaled deeply as if savoring all he would absorb as part of this new plane of existence. Grunting, Raven attempted to wiggle out of his grip despite the pain she felt from all he unleashed at her at once. She could feel the mystic pressure building up inside her and was reaching the point where she would be unable to absorb any more of his energy to amplify and use against him.
"Unlike your mother, you will die like your brothers. Your life will become mine again, like your brothers. And she will bear witness to her offspring's life end while being unable to do anything about it. I will make the mortals know what true horror is and they will bow down, kneel and worship me."
He then encased his hand with even more energy, seeking to take his daughter's life and sneered as her protective aura broke. The scream of pain she admitted was bliss to him, music he would soon have a never ending chorus of once his realm merged with Earth and its universe.
"N, no...you...won't..." Raven fought to say.
Breathing hard, she began to sweat profusely. Her teeth ground as she fought to break the large hand encasing her. Opening her eye, she saw Trigon's hand become incased in black energy, slowly making its way to her where it started to overtake her. It was a new pain she felt, as if her very life force was being ripped from her body.
Wincing from the pain, she gave a sharp cry. Tears feel from her eyes in thin waterfalls. A thought popped in her head, all these years being alone was not what she wanted. As a kid, she wanted friends and grew jealous at the sight of others playing together, making her angry that she could not have that chance. Young girls would be cared for by their fathers and taught by their mothers, something that would make her angry for having been denied that simple opportunity. She wanted friends, wanted a family, but knew she could not risk anyone becoming close to her.
"They never trained us to be a team," Garfield's words echoed in her head. "We're a family."
The memories of seeng how Garfield was treated by his blood sister and Conner flashed in her mind. They were a makeshift family, a boy with two parental figures until their son was born and he gained a brother. More would come, two orphans, her and Terra, two seeking to do more than others would dream of doing, Cissie and Kyle. She would never admit it, but she actually felt ecstatic at the acceptance they all had for her, and despite discovering the blood ties she had, they were still accepting of her. The two leaders took care of her needs, were there for her when she needed someone for guidance, taught her what she needed to know, like the parents she wished she had growing up. She had a family, one that may not be of blood, but one that still defended her, fought for her, and protected her against what could happen to her.
"Simply let go," Trigon told his daughter. "It's simpler and less painful if you just let go and accept your fate, like your brothers. The world is changing, and you cannot fight change, daughter."
With the dark energy close to covering her completely, Raven continued to struggle to get free. She felt hopeless, there was no way to free herself and from what she saw earlier, she could not even save her friends.
"Bring your light to the world," she heard her mother's voice. "Show them all what you can do and embrace those around you. If I can not be there for you, let others do so, and do the same for them. Do not be afraid to show your emotions. Embrace them. And always remember, I love you."
As the black energy reached her face, Raven gave a grunt as it covered her hair, mouth, and nose. As it was just about to cover her eyes, they began to glow brighter. They became the purest white imaginable and blew apart the darkness covering her along with Trigon's fist.
Everywhere across Jump City, those still unpossessed covered their eyes as they witnessed the brightest light they had ever seen. All fights were stopped as the brightness overtook them from the island to the far reaches of the domed city.
"R, Raven!" Covering his eyes, Beast Boy tried to look upon the Gothic girl with watering eyes. "Raven!"
Pulling back, Trigon howled in pain from having his right hand obliterated by his daughter. The white light she let out blinded even him and forced the demon god to shield his eyes as he attempted to look upon his daughter.
With her body stretched out, legs together, arms out at her sides, and head stretched out while looking up, the normally black clad Raven now wore a pure white dress with a slit up to her thigh. Her cloak gently floated around her with her hood still covering her head and shadowing most of her face. A gust of wind swept over her, gently pulling her hood back to reveal long, beautiful purple hair as her chakra began to glow a bright red. Snaking out from the gem, red lines formed over her entire body, resembling a glowing, red tattoo, Designs decorated her pale flesh as they stretched down to her bare feet, resembling tribal markings with hints of glyphs in them.
Opening her eyes, Raven nearly blinded her father with their purity. Below, Beast Boy was completely entranced with the sight of her and stared with his mouth hanging open. Behind him, Lilith saw her opportunity to take the teen out when a bright light shot down at her, knocking her back and into unconsciousness.
"What, what is-" Trigon said as he fought to look upon his daughter. The tower behind him came crumbling down the rest of the way.
"I may have been born from darkness," Raven said, "but my mother gave me my light!" Her voice took on a slight echo as she spoke. In the center of her forehead, her chakra gleamed brightly as she centered her eyes on her father. "There is always a way to fight change. Always a way to fix what has been changed for the worse. And I take responsibility to change what you have done here today, to my home, my family!"
Rearing his good hand back, Trigon sent a powerful burst of black energy at the floating, white Titan. With her arms in front of her, Raven deflected the attack and fired back, succeeding in bringing him to a knee.
"Rachel," Beast Boy whispered as he watched.
Roaring, Trigon fired a beam at Raven, coming close to striking her when she created a shield before her. She then shattered the beam and formed a large sphere of white energy above her, sending it at the otherworldly threat to Earth and struck him as he blocked the attack.
"You will suffer for that, daughter." Getting back to his feet, Trigon opened his chakra.
Muttering an incantation, the demon god's horns sparked with power as his chakra shimmered. He had, had enough with the bothersome individual challenging him. Of all his children, his daughter was the only one to defy him and the reason she was born. Unleashing a wide beam of pure black energy, Trigon sought to destroy his own daughter without leaving any trace of her behind.
Forming a shield at the last second, Raven grunted from the force being directed at her. It was enough to force her back to the outer part of the island, but she fought back. Putting her own energy with what she stored and amplified from her father, Raven slowly regained what ground she lost, but was feeling her own strength waining. She was again, coming to her limit as her father was still too much for her to handle with her increased power.
Flying up to the lone Titan, a green falcon fought to get as close as it could to the girl. Morphing back, Beast Boy wrapped his hands around her as she continued to fight against the power of her demonic father.
"What are you doing here?!" Raven struggled to say as she kept the battle between the white and dark energy going.
"It looked like you needed help!" Garfield yelled.
"And how do you propose to do that?!"
"Don't know! Haven't figured that out yet!"
"You cannot beat me, halfling," Trigon told Raven. "I am forever. I am existence beyond death. I am unstoppable."
Feeling herself slip back, Raven increased the energy she had and refused to stop, no matter how tired she was. "G, Garfield, I'm at my limit!"
"You can do this, Rachel! You can end it!"
Looking forward, Raven could see the chakra on her father. It was open, pouring his hate and malice at her in an effort to eradicate her. Looking back at Garfield, she saw he was moving to where he was at her side and reached to grab his hand. In turn, Garfield looked up at her and nodded.
"You can do this Rachel! We're here!"
Looking back, Raven knew what she needed to do. Light destroys darkness, even if it is only a tiny speck. Trigon was the emphasis of that with her as the light. She had to destroy his link, to send him back and make sure he could never come back again, trapping him in his own realm indefinitely.
Looking back at Garfield, Raven tightened her grip and gave a sad smile as a tear fell down her cheek. "I'm sorry."
"Ra, Rachel?" Looking at the way she looked at him, Garfield switched his gaze to see the open chakra on Trigon's head and knew what she planned to do. And what it would cost her. "No, Rachel, don't."
"I'm sorry, Garfield."
Shaking his head, Garfield held on tightly with both hands. "Not like this! You can't die!"
"You always were a leader," Raven told him. "Tell the others not to worry."
"Rachel!"
"Thank you. You don't know how much you did for me, Garfield. I wish we had more time."
"I'm not letting go!"
"You don't have to."
Sending a small, harmless pop of white energy through her hand, Raven broke contact with Garfield. The sudden separation sent him hurtling to the water far below, shouting her name until he landed with a splash. Above him, Raven turned to face her father and put everything she had into what she needed to do. Using the emotions she felt from those around her, Conner, M'gann, Cissie, Kyle, Terra, and especially Garfield, she burst forward through the combination of white and black energies and entered Trigon's chakra.
Roaring in pain, the demonic god thrashed about, arms flailing and head whipping back as Raven spread her limbs within the chakra in his forehead. With her hood off, and head back, the red tattoo glowed brightly as her hair flew about. A serene look claimed her face with the white light surrounding her.
"I know it was you now, mom," she whispered. "I know why you wouldn't tell me. This is for you."
With a sad smile and the thought of those who she was fighting for, her family, she closed her eyes, focused her mind, and whispered, "Azerath...Metreon...Zeeeennnthooosssssssssssss."
The effect was instantaneous as a large explosion occurred. Trigon's forehead released, not black energy, but a pure white light. The being himself roared in pain and fell to his knees, clutching his head as he did so.
Below on the beach, Lilith shot up into the air and bent backwards. A black bolt of energy shot from her mouth and eyes as the power of Trigon left her. The same went for Aqualad, Superboy, and Mrs. Martian, each being freed from Trigon's influence with white lights striking Green Arrow and the young recruits further up the beach.
The mainland and city witnessed the same thing as those under Trigon's control stiffened as his power left them and went limp as they fell back to the ground. The dome surrounding the city stopped where it grew and began to recede with everything it passed over being thrusted back into its original realm as if it were brand new.
"It's down!" Captain Atom shouted. As one, those remaining outside the dome moved in to aide anyone they could.
"Don't know how you do it, Constantine," Zatanna commented as she took to the air. "Just please let my dad be okay."
Inside the dissipating dome, Hawkman slid to his knees as his wife stiffened with Trigon's energy being ripped from her. Catching her, Hawkman held her tightly until she opened her eyes weakly. Each exchanged smiles and embraced in the middle of the street.
Over near the harbor, Stargirl had used her staff to pole-vault to Riddler, kicking him onto his back and was about to go for the knockout when he stiffened like the others. Screeching to a stop, Kid Flash saw the same as all the possessed civilians began to have Trigon's energy forcibly leave their body. The same was happening at the harbor as everyone under the demon's influence was freed.
"What's happening?!" Nightwing asked as he watched those around him stiffen as the back energy within them fled their bodies.
Near the edge of the water, Silver Banshee screamed loudly as she gripped her head. The black energy left her like the others and she collapsed off the high dock. It was a timely thrown Bat-A-Rang by Batgirl who saved her from a watery grave.
"The island!" Black Canary yelled as she pointed at the thrashing demon.
(-)
As Trigon continued to roar and thrash about, Terra came to and found herself in the middle of a strong gust of wind. She dug her hands into the ground and used the sand to form slots for her to hang onto.
"Terra!" Lantern shouted, "What's happening?!"
"I don't know!"
Flying over the Earth mover, Arowette fired a grapple line from her crossbow to keep her on the beach. "He's gonna blow!" she yelled while pointing at Trigon.
Looking up to the demon god, the Titan group witnessed him taking on a bright red and white glow. The dark cloud above the island began to rotate as if creating a tornado directly above Trigon's head. Lightning slowed to a stop, but the wind increased from the sky.
Swimming to the rocks where he fell, Beast Boy held onto the side of a boulder halfway submerged in the water. Looking up, he could not see any sign of Raven but did see her father glow brightly. "Rachel."
Releasing another roar, Trigon felt unbearable pain as a pure white light shot out of his chest. Another erupted from the side of his torso with another firing out of his back. Falling to his knees, another light burst from his back, shoulder, abdomen, each one destroying the darkness he represents. Above him, the red sky began to change to its natural blue color and back to red as the clouds absorbed the dome.
With one last roar, Trigon straightened up, facing the sky when a final ray of light burst from his head to form a large, white raven above him. The bird let out a screech as Trigon roared one final time before exploding in a shower of bright, white sparks falling to the ground like snow and disappearing. The wind faded away, the crimson sky faded back to blue with a few clouds here and there as the sun filled the fully repaired city with it's light for the first time in hours.
All was quiet on the island as if nothing had happened at all until Arrowette burst out from under a thick covering of sand. Coughing, she shook her head and cleared her eyes to look around her. "We, we won?" she asked as she ripped her mask off. "Did we win? For reals?"
Picking himself up to his knees, Lantern depowered and felt himself over to make sure he had no injuries. "Dude, that sword was freaky. And I think I have sand where I don't want it."
Picking her head up, Terra shook the sand from her hair then spit the grit from her mouth she had gathered while trying to breathe. "Bleeegh. Never will get used to the taste."
"Guys," Cissie said as she ran by. " We won!"
"The tower, it's fixed!" Getting up to her feet, Terra joined her friend as they looked at the fully repaired Titan Tower. She continued to spit the left over sand she had out of her mouth.
"It's like nothing ever happened," Kyle commented.
"The city!"
Looking where Terra pointed, the other two saw the devastation caused by Trigon was now gone. Jump City looked as beautiful as ever with its skyline fully restored, clear blue sky, and blue water teaming with life once again. Everything corrupted by Trigon was made new again, as if he had never entered Earth's domain to begin with.
Slowly getting up, Superboy shook his head, knocking loose what sand was in his hair before he sat back on his knees and breathed deeply. His head felt as if it were in a fog that was slowly clearing each second he was conscious with only vague memories as to what just happened. It only took him a moment to remember being in his wife's arms when they were both skewered by a weapon neither of them could deter with their powers. His connection with M'gann reestablished itself and he instantly knew where she was. He hurried to his feet and took off to where he felt her.
(-)
Climbing out of the water, Beast Boy shook his body like that of a dog with his tail whipping a few drops off afterward. Raking his hair back, he frantically searched for Raven who he hoped was still alive and not the thing he never wanted to mention again. Ignoring the rebuild tower, he hopped from rock to rock but could not find any sign of the Goth girl.
"Rachel!" he called. "Rachel!"
He still could not find her.
(-)
Cutting Green Arrow free, Cissie waited as he made sure he was okay. Kyle and Terra then freed Hawk and Dove, gaining quick introductions from the two of them, albeit a semi-rude one from Hawk.
Down by the beach, Kaldur helped Lilith get to her feet. He was careful not to touch her directly, should he trigger her ability to see into the future and have another breakdown when she slipped and grasped his hand.
Growing still, Kaldur waited for her to pull away quickly but saw the look on her face when she did not. Looking up at him, her bottom lip quivered as she smiled slightly.
"I, I don't see...anything," she said between her normal voice and a whisper. "I don't see...any visions."
(-)
Shaking off both the effects of Trigon's control and the flares meant to keep her down, M'gann slowly got to her hands and knees. As she held a hand to her head, her husband, Conner, came running around the corner to where she was and only ran faster once he saw her.
"M'gann?!" Sliding to a crouch next to her, Conner gently reached out to help her. "M'gann."
"Conner?" Popping up to her knees, M'gann wrapped her arms tightly around him and held him close. "I, I thought we-"
"We didn't. We're alive."
Touching foreheads, they let their minds touch, wrapping themselves in the emotions they had for each other before kissing deeply.
(-)
"Rachel!" Landing on another semi submerged boulder, Garfield began to lose hope of finding the lost Titan. Placing both hands on his head, he breathed slightly faster as he began to wonder if she was gone.
"RACHEL!" he shouted as loud as he could before falling to his knees. "Please."
The sound of waves crashing on the shore sounded around him, drowning out the beats of his heart as it thumped hard in his chest. Breathing hard and swallowing the lump in his throat, Garfield looked out into the harbor. He did not know how to feel. Trigon was defeated, but the cost was extremely too high for him. The first girl he liked, the girl he fought for, helped, befriended, and actually returned his feelings was gone. She had given her life to save the world. But it was not a world Garfield wanted to live in as he was now without the someone he really cared for.
Again, a wave crashed on the shore nearby, washing up a black clad figure. It was just out of focus for the green teenager to see until a reflective blur caught his peripheral vision. Turning at the sudden white blink, Garfield's hopes were renewed as he saw Raven, back in her mostly black colored uniform, lying on the small rocks and sand. He quickly morphed into a hawk and flew over to her still form. Gently, he turned her over and was relieved to see her chest rising and falling.
"Rachel?" Shaking her gently, Garfield again grew anxious when she did not stir. "Rachel."
Removing her hood, he moved her still long hair clinging to her face and lightly tapped her cheek. "Rachel, come on. Wake up."
"Rachel." Increasing the force of his light slaps, Garfield became frantic when she wouldn't show even the slightest of responses. "Rachel, wake up. Rache-agh!"
Falling to the side, Garfield put a hand to his cheek where it throbbed. Being punched in the face was not the response he was looking for as Raven came to and scrambled backwards.
"Garfield?!" Raven gasped as she looked around with wide eyes.
"Rachel!" Moving in, the two hugged each other tight, glad they were okay and the threat of Trigon was over.
"You did it," Garfield told her. "I knew you could. And you have a mean left uppercut."
Holding him tighter, Raven sniffed close to his ear. "Thank you."
Separating to look at her, Garfield had a quizzical look. "For what?"
"For showing me that I'm not only my father's daughter. And believing in me when I didn't."
Hugging her again, Garfield grew a smile, not knowing she had done the same. "You know, usually after a big fight..."
"Shut up." With her hands on his cheeks, Raven brought him close and kissed him, letting herself allow and enjoy something she had shut herself off from for years.
"WOOOOOOO! Studly!" shouted Kyle.
"You go girl!" Cissie added.
"Remember to breathe!" Terra yelled as she laughed. "And watch out for your tonsils!"
As the three Titans overlooking the couple from further up the beach laughed and celebrated, Garfield and Raven blushed furiously. Both of their faces were a matching red as they stared at each other when they were tackled by their friends in a large group hug.
"We did it!" Terra hollered. "We came, we saw, we kicked demon butt!"
"Bring on the bubblegum!" Cissie yelled.
"WOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOO! We are awesome!" Garfield shouted. "Titans win!"
"YEAH!"
"WOOOOOO!"
"AW YEAH, TITANS!"
As one, including Raven, all young members of the Titans shouted in celebration as they lay on the soft sand, enjoying their hard fought victory with each other.
(-)
Standing alone, Kaldur watched Lilith as she looked across the harbor with tear filled eyes. Her nightmare was over. She was no longer a slave to unwanted visions of death and destruction. She now had a life of her choosing, no longer being hunted down by a cult looking to use her for their purposes.
Closing her eyes, she let the soft breeze flow through the long strands of her hair. Breathing in deeply, she enjoyed the feel of the sun's warmth on her dark skin. It had been too long since she last had a moment of tranquility like she was experiencing. She now had freedom and a tomorrow worth living.
"Tell her." Gaining Kaldur's attention, M'gann stood beside Conner with her arms around him and head on his chest.
"Tell her what?" Kaldur asked.
"You know. Tell her."
Looking at Lilith, Kaldur let out a breath.
"She'll never know unless you tell her, Kaldur," Conner told his old friend.
"Never took you for the openly romantic type, my friend."
"For her," looking down at his wife, Conner grinned, causing M'gann to blush, "I am. Just do it."
"Or we'll tell Wally," M'gann told Kaldur. "And Dick. And then they'll tell the girls."
"And you know what that will lead to," Conner reminded him. Last time a member of the team, Jaime, was outed for liking Cassie, the girls did not stop until he asked her out. Kaldur did not want to go through the same situation he did.
Swallowing a lump in his throat, the Atlantean nervously exhaled as his muscles tensed.
"Just go for it," Conner told him.
"I know, I know," Kaldur told him. "I am just trying to work up to it."
Forcing himself to take the first step, Kaldur balled his fists up as he made a direct line for Lilith. She looked incredibly peaceful standing on the beach with the midday sun shining down upon her and a smile on her face, a smile he only wished to see since meeting her.
Stepping up beside the Brazilian woman, Kaldur felt his hands become clammy. How he wished he were going toe to toe with any number of criminals instead of doing something like this, which involved another type of courage altogether.
"Um, Lilith?" he asked as calmly as he could.
Not taking her eyes off the beautiful day ahead of her, Lilith smiled brightly, taking the Atlantean's breath away. "It's beautiful. The day. I never thought I would have another to look forward to. Thank you."
Nodding, Kaldur never took his eyes off her. "The pleasure is all mine. I just hope you enjoy your life now that you have nothing to fear."
"I will. Thank you for saving me. I apologize for being difficult and being a burden to you and your friends."
"You were never a burden, Lilith."
Staring at her, he watched as she turned to face the harbor. "I have my life back because of you. You can never know how much that means to me. And I can finally be with my family. I can go home."
Feeling a little let down, Kaldur gave a small nod. "You are free to use our transport system. The tower has the means to get you home."
"Well, I, I guess I should be seeing about, going, I guess."
With a small wave, Lilith turned away from Kaldur and began heading for the tower when she heard running footsteps behind her.
"Lilith." Catching up to her, Kaldur stood to her side as she turned to face him.
"Yes?" she asked.
"Well, I, I just wanted to, um-"
Stopping himself, Kaldur pulled Lilith to him and delivered a passionate kiss to the once troubled young woman. The action did not go unanswered as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.