The last chapters were kind of dark, so I decided to do a fluff piece to help the transition to a new part of the story. This was suggested in the comments in one of the earlier chapters, so here it is. I hope you like it. Please review.
Three days later, Robin knocked on Mallory's door.
"Yeah?" she asked when he poked his head in her room.
"Get dressed, we're going out," he said.
Mallory tilted her head to the side curiously. "Where are we going?" she asked.
He shook his head. "Nowhere in particular."
"Ok, well, should I wear my suit or civies?"
"Civies. I think we need an outing that doesn't end in beating something up," he replied.
Mallory shrugged. "Ok. Brek and I were gonna go out later, so do you mind if he comes?" she asked, moving to her dresser.
"Uh, actually," Robin said quietly, and she turned to face him. "What?" she asked.
"Well, I was actually thinking that the team needs some time with just us. You know, family time. We haven't had a lot of that since the futures came and Raquel started dating Darius, and after the whole thing with Cadmus, it just seemed like a good thing to do."
Mallory smiled and nodded. "You're right, we do need some family time. I'll be in the living room in ten minutes," she told him.
He grinned and went down the hall to Megan's door, and Mallory threw on some jeans, a t shirt, and her combat boots before going to the living room to wait for the team. Raquel, Artemis, Kaldur, and Wally were there waiting for the rest of the team.
"Wow, he works fast," Wally commented. "We were just talking about doing this like ten minutes ago, and now he's already got everyone assembled."
Mallory chuckled and leaned against the back of the sofa. "It's a good idea, though. We haven't had a real team bonding in a long time," she replied.
"What are you talking about? We just went to the fair," Raquel argued.
Artemis shook her head. "No, that's not the same. You and Mallory brought boyfriends, and Kaldur wasn't there," she pointed out. Zatanna, Conner, Megan, and Robin came in from the rooms and the team gathered in a circle.
"Well, Robin, what did you have in mind?" Artemis asked.
Mallory smiled at the youngest member of the team as he shrugged and said, "we can figure it out on the bioship. Let's go." They followed as he led them to the hangar and they piled into the bioship. Megan flew them out of the cave and headed them out of town.
"Where are we going?" Megan asked, looking around at the team.
"Y'all want to go to another carnival? There's one outside Central right now," Raquel suggested.
"No, I was thinking something a little quieter," Robin said.
"Like what?" Artemis asked.
"Like a campout or something like that," he replied.
"That's a great idea! Let's go to the store in Happy Harbor and get some food, and we can make a campfire and then sleep in the bioship," Megan said enthusiastically. The team nodded in agreement, and Wally turned in his seat. "Now we just need to find a secluded spot," he said. Mallory looked out the window for a moment, then she smiled and turned back to her friends.
"I know just the place," she said.
A half an hour later the team walked out of the bioship, Conner and Kaldur carrying bags of groceries. Mallory looked around at the woods and lake and smiled.
"What is this place?" Raquel asked behind her. Mallory looked at her teammates and saw the recognition in their eyes.
"This was the place Mallory became one of the team," Artemis said, smiling at the pyrokinetic.
Zatanna raised an eyebrow. "Aww, how come I don't have a special spot?" she asked in mock jealousy.
"'Cause you were willing to join from the start," Wally replied with a grin.
"You didn't want to join?" Raquel asked.
Mallory shook her head. "I wanted to, I just thought I was going to fry everyone if I did. This is where the team convinced me that they could help me control it," she explained.
"Yeah, can you imagine what might have happened if Robin hadn't convinced us to come?" Megan asked as they started unpacking the groceries and setting up some logs for seats.
"Robin convinced you?" Mallory asked. She'd always assumed it had been Wally, or that the League had sent them. The others nodded, and Robin shrugged.
"All right, enough reminiscing. Where's the food?" Wally asked. Mallory chuckled and tossed him a box of granola bars. "That should hold you until we finish unpacking," she told him.
She started their fire and backed off, letting Megan and Zatanna start going through the food. The rest of the team settled on the logs. Megan distributed drinks first, and Kaldur raised his in the air.
"I believe a toast is in order," he said. Robin and Wally cocked amused grins, but they raised their sodas up as well. Mallory and Artemis exchanged a glance and raised theirs up, and then the rest of the team did as well.
"May we always be a family, no matter how life changes our numbers," Kaldur said.
"May we always be a family," the team repeated, and they knocked their soda cans together.
"Seems like more fun when they do it in the movies," Wally commented before chugging his can and getting another.
Artemis rolled her eyes and scoffed. "It's not supposed to be fun," she said, backhanding his arm.
"Then why would we do it?" Wally countered.
"To seal a promise," Zatanna said, looking around.
Robin chuckled. "Are we weird, or is it just me that thinks that?" he asked with a grin.
"Oh, no, we're definitely not normal," Raquel assured him, laughing.
Robin nodded. "Yeah, didn't think so," he replied.
Mallory shook her head. "I think it's nice," she said, then she laughed and leaned against the leader and added, "But I don't know what you think is going to change about us. I can just see us all at fifty, still working out of the cave and taking orders from Batman."
"Hey, suits me fine. I don't need anything to change," Robin replied.
"Ok, who wants S'mores?" Megan asked, laying out the supplies. Everyone grabbed a stick and a marshmallow and started roasting them over the fire. Mallory looked around, wanting to remember this night as long as she lived. Everyone was happy and safe, and together.
"Hey, guys, look over here," Robin told them. Everyone looked at his phone and he snapped the picture.
"Hey, send that to me," Wally told him, then he turned to Artemis and Mallory and said, "I'll send it to you two."
Mallory nodded. "All right, and I'll send it to Z." Artemis turned to Megan and told her she would send it to her, and Zatanna told Raquel she would send it to her. Raquel told Kaldur she would send it to him, and Megan assured Conner she would send it to him, even though he wouldn't admit he wanted it.
Artemis rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, this is ridiculous. Can't we just exchange numbers at this point? We could get burner phones just for team communication."
The rest of the team looked at Robin, and he shrugged. "All right, I can get us some burner phones. We just can't ever let Batman know about it."
Mallory shrugged. "That shouldn't be hard, I don't talk to him, and he's only around when there's a mission."
"Yeah, well, I'll get the phones as soon as I can, and I'll program the numbers into all of them before I give them to you."
"It's about time. Do you know how awkward it is to talk on the comms in public? I look like a crazy person every time," Raquel said.
Zatanna laughed. "Who, you? Never," she said with mock sarcasm, and Raquel shot her a playful glare.
"You know, I'm going to have to have an excuse for skipping out on Brek tonight," Mallory said a few minutes later, and Raquel face palmed and said, "Oh, man, I knew I forgot something. Darius was supposed to pick me up tonight for a date, and I didn't even tell him I was going to be out of the city."
Zatanna laced her fingers through Robin's and laughed. "You two make things difficult with your boyfriends not being on the team," she said.
Mallory raised an eyebrow. "What was I supposed to do? I tried to get my last one to join, he didn't want to."
Zatanna shook her head. "You know, Kaldur's still available," she said with a grin. Mallory shook her head, not needing to defend herself on that point. Kaldur was their leader, and as much of a sibling to her as Conner or Megan.
Raquel put a hand on Kaldur's shoulder affectionately and looked at Zatanna. "You know that didn't work out. Besides, I really think Darius is the one, so don't you go and try to break us up just because he's not in the hero gig." Zatanna smiled and looked away, leading to a good natured fight between the two.
Mallory turned to Kaldur, who had stayed silent and let the girls talk about him. "We do need to get you a girlfriend. You're the only one on the team who doesn't have someone."
Kalder looked at her and smiled a little. "I appreciate your concern for me, but I do not think I am going to find one any time soon. My heart still yearns for Tula, as it has much of my life. It would not be fair to enter a relationship with lingering feelings for another."
Mallory looked away, not sure why she suddenly felt guilty. Kaldur put a hand on her shoulder, and she looked up at him.
"I did not mean to insinuate that that is what you are doing. It is clear that you care for Polar Boy, and that he cares for you. That is all that any of us want for you, to find someone that can be there for you even with the life you lead, as we always will be for you."
Mallory smiled and gave him a one-armed hug. "Thanks, Kaldur," she said, pulling away. "You know, when I first joined the team I worried about you guys thinking I was forcing my way into your group. Now, it seems silly that I ever thought you'd feel that way."
Kaldur smiled, and they turned back to the rest of the team, who had changed the subject and were now arguing about who's mentor would be the last man standing if the League was the Hunger Games. In the end, everyone had to concede that it would either be Batman or Superman, and they dropped the subject in fear of creating a physical civil war between them.
For the rest of the night, the team talked and reconnected. By the time they piled into the bioship to go to sleep, they all had smiles on their faces, and memories that would last them a lifetime.
Please review! Do you like these fluff pieces, or do you want more action? Do you like Brek and Mallory? What do you want to happen in the future of the story? I would love to get some feedback on the story!