"What do you think it is?", Martha teased as Kel blushed a bit. "Looks a lot like home... with some... benefits?", she said. Then Kel put things together quickly and blushed even more. "You... now?", she asked as Thomas sighed. "I know what you told Martha... about willing to sacrifice yourself to save her and this family...", he said.
Kel sighed deeply, "I don't want this family to lose her, especially you with your second chance to come home...All those years of memories, loving our Martha both intimately in bed and being behind her to support her platonically, raising Bruce and Poppy, intimidating bad guys, protecting Gotham and the manor, seeing the family getting bigger with Waylon and Caroline...You, this family taught me so much...You saw that machine...I can't let that kill Martha, Thomas...She's your wife, my mate...I must put myself forward to save her, to be a true hero...I don't want to be selfish...But I'm scared, even if I know I have to be brave about...about dying, fading away while I give all of my gamma energy to save our Martha...I...You don't have to say anything...but...but did it...did anything hurt when you died?", finishing with a glance at her second love of her heart next to Martha as she sat on the edge of the bed, not looking like a woman, but rather looking like a scared girl hugging her knees.
Thomas shook his head. "I can't say it's the same for anyone... Caroline admitted it was a lot of pain as she died but those last few moments felt almost peaceful, that all the pain had just gone away as she got sleepy. For me... I didn't even feel a thing. Just like falling asleep.", he told her.
Kel exhaled at that, "I see...With that machine...probably a mix like Caroline and you...but if the end is really peaceful, like falling asleep...that almost doesn't sound so bad...Probably the same that happened for Dorji too..".
Martha hopped up on her hands to sit next to Kel, while Thomas took the other side to sit as well, and Martha replied, "You are a selfless hero, Kel...You may be part of me, but you do have a soul, just not a body, but this...right now, this is real...", caressing Kel's cheek and kissing her on the cheek.
"Martha is right. You are real, Kel, to us, to our family, and that means more than anything, for whatever happens, you will always be here in our hearts, our memories, and in our children...You are an incredible woman, a fantastic protector, an amazing mother, and a gorgeous lover...", Thomas copied Martha, along with a tender, passionate look.
Kel blushed, tears in her eyes, looking between her mates, and whispered, "I love you, Martha and Thomas Wayne.", and the husband-wife duo smiled, sharing a brief glance, and chorused as one, "We love you as much as we love each other, Kel Wayne.", before moving in to kiss Kel on the lips lovingly and deeply, which in turn led to a breath-taking, passionate, loving, and deeply mind-blowing session of three romps in bed, lasting a few hours.
"Oh, gods...So, this is how it feels to be pleasantly sore, yet so surprisingly addictive to the real thing...How did you manage this with our Thomas before I came?", Kel asked in exhausted awe, soaked with the scent of sweat and sex like the others as she is in the middle, laying back and resting on the pillows, with Martha on one side, and Thomas on one side, all naked, yet snug and cuddling under the blankets, having just done the third and last romp of lovemaking as she was stunned at how Thomas is flexible to handle three different positions with Martha joining in with mischief and happiness in her own way of positions as well, making Kel's presumed final night of life ever so wonderful.
"Honestly, it's been so long I've kinda forgotten... we weren't exactly the most... frequent of lovemaking...", Martha blushed. "I get the feeling we would've been doing it a lot more had I lived if that night we had Poppy conceived was any indication.", Thomas chuckled.
Both Martha and Kel blushed brighter, smiling, somehow agreeing with him on that, and Kel sighed softly, "Are you upset that I and Bruce kind of gave Waylon the shovel talk, as you weren't there?".
Thomas replied, "I was a bit upset that I never got the chance to be there for the shovel talk, but I was proud of Bruce for doing that, and you were brilliant too, Kel...I'm just sad that I never actually got to learn how to take care of a daughter personally all those years, but at the same time, I was so happy and proud of you two and Alfred and Bruce for doing a fantastic job as I watched over all of you...At least I know what Poppy likes, and what she doesn't like, and much more, that gotta count for something as she's literally older now...At least I got just 9 years with Bruce, and he grew up so incredibly, thanks to you two and Alfred...".
Martha smiled, "Don't forget Leslie, Caroline, and little Jane...This family has been amazing all around..And it will be amazing once again today...Are you still scared, Kel?", and Kel replied, "I'm scared of losing all of you, but I'm not scared of dying...Does that make sense?".
"That makes sense very much, my dear goddess.", Thomas leaned in to kiss Kel's cheek with a gentle smile, "Everything is going to turn out alright for us, for this escape, even if things will be going upside down, maybe giving us grief, but you aren't going to be forgotten, that I can promise.".
Kel whispered, "I just want to stay here as long as we could...", and Martha went to kiss her on the cheek with a reassuring smile, "We're not going anywhere, my gorgeous amazon...Just take into this, eh?", snuggling closer into her lover's body as Thomas did the same thing.
Kel gave a small, awed smile, stunned that she was being loved this much, "Okay...", as her arms wrapped around her lovers tenderly and lovingly, basking into the afterglow and presence of their love.
They slept for the next few hours, with Thomas not saying goodbye as in words, but rather kissed Kel deeply and tenderly on the lips, and departed from the mindscape after a hand squeeze and a warm kiss on the lips from Martha, and then hearing the faint sound of the dawn gong, knowing that it's going to be lights on in a few minutes, Martha kissed Kel warmly and lovingly, drying away Kel's tears at the moment, not saying goodbye either as they just didn't need to, knowing that they would need it at the machine later.
Martha departed from the mindscape, waking up in the physical world as lights came on, with murmurs and groans sounding out, with a guard's voice at the intercom, "Up at them! Lights on! Cheer up, it's Halloween!".
Martha went to use her cell bathroom, and afterwards, she got breakfast, glancing at the others with breakfast trays, giving them a hopeful smile, "Everything is going to turn out alright...We will have the rest of our family back in our arms soon.", trying to convey to them that she knows it now, not doubting it anymore.
"I hope you're right...", Alfred whispered. The plan was still incredibly risky if they all wanted to escape alive. If things came to the worst, perhaps Kel might be the only one to truly escape with just how sheer impervious she was to things unless Ra figured out another way of making sure to sedate her like Talia did the day that they captured Martha, and through her, Kel.
Bruce replied, "I believe Mom.", as Poppy nodded in agreement, with Waylon saying, "Just be on our best behavior on the side of them.", as he took a bite of his breakfast.
Everybody agreed, and so, they ate, exercising around the cells to digest breakfast afterwards, or taking a quick shower, behaving like it was any other day in prison for an hour before Talia came in with a group of League escorts, "Good morning, all of you. Ready for the best reward of your lives?".
Martha spoke for the family, "We're at the edge of our seats.", and Talia smiled, "You shall not be disappointed. Cuff them up, and let's go.", and the League escorts went into each cell to cuff their hands, and marched them along with Talia in the lead, hopefully and finally leaving their cells for the last time, taking some minutes.
They headed down below to the Pit, where Ra is with some other League members, and the bodies of Thomas and a pregnant Caroline, and Talia bowed her head respectfully to Ra, "Father, I brought the family. They're most frothing at the edge of their seats.", with a little amused chuckle.
Ra nodded, "Naturally. It isn't every day a family is reunited. Today, under the magic of Hallows' Eve, and the thinning of the mortal and spirit worlds, two miracles will occur. Now, all of you, take up Caroline Jones and her young one within to the Pit, gently. We do not want to anger She-Hulk or to upset Alfred or Waylon for the treatment.", looking at the group near the body of Caroline, bowing their heads in respect, "Yes, milord!".
"Sir, Mr. al Ghul, may I respectfully ask to be near the edge of the Pit to reunite with my fiancé and unborn daughter?", Alfred asked politely with a underlying sense of anxiety, glancing to see the group gently carrying Caroline's body, minding carefully of the baby bump, relieved that Caroline's body has a renewed version of her clothes, like things has been washed and fixed, keeping her modesty.
"In due time...", Ra said before looking to one of his guards. "Keep him back; he'll have his moment soon enough...", Ra obviously had some plans with the resurrections, probably to twist a bit of a dagger into the family. After all, he wasn't doing any of this out of the goodness in his heart but rather his plans to get hold of the She-Hulk's power.
Alfred behaved as the guard took off his cuffs, but he was kept back, watching himself even if he wanted to run and hit Ra or anything else, but he knew it would earn him trouble or to be killed, and he bit his lip anxiously as the group gently floated Caroline's body, keeping her on her back as she was pushed gently into the Pit, and Alfred couldn't help, but count mentally of the 2, almost 3 minutes if Ra was right about the timing accordion to the amount of time she was dead from the day of her death and the funeral, knowing that Caroline is a fantastic swimmer, and the baby bump shouldn't slow her down much...
He knew the Pit had de-aged Dorji, wondering if it'd do the same to Caroline while advancing the pregnancy from its four-month baby bump where it was stuck at Jane's death/miscarriage, reviving the womb perfectly, and curing the virus disease from Caroline's body and more.
Personally, he hoped it really didn't, he'd rather have her back somewhat like if no time had passed and she hadn't died in the first place. Besides, it would be less likely of her having to live very long without him once he would eventually pass away. There was a silence for a few more moments before the liquid broke and Caroline shot upward, gasping for air.
Alfred gasped, struggling to run, but held still, not blind to the guard's hand holding him back, and called out, "Caroline!", with tears in his eyes.
Caroline had de-aged to a considerable degree of some years, down to mid-30s, almost late 30s, looking like she still raised Waylon respectfully from her early 20s, late teens, entirely healthy and rosy-cheeked.
Upon hearing Alfred's voice, Caroline looked straightforward at him, and she called out with a sob, "Alfred!", swimming almost well yet still a bit shakily, like her body was recalling the pain and the medicine momentarily before vanishing away, to the edge, to the shallow end, revealing her now seven months old baby bump that's revived with Jane kicking actively much to Caroline's relief and joy.
Ra then nodded at the guard, "Okay, let him go.", and the guard moved to the side, letting Alfred go, and he ran to the edge, "Caroline!", grasping into her back and arm, tears falling as he realized that he is feeling her warm skin, hearing her breath of life, and Caroline, with tears too, realized that she can touch him again, to smell his familiar scent, not hesitating for even a second before she kissed Alfred on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck, dripping and soaked with the Pit's liquid.
The remains of her resurrection through the Pit's work absorbed into Alfred's skin and inner parts as Alfred tried to keep opening his eyes but closed his eyes in instinct as he grasped his fiancée's body, feeling somehow stronger, helping lift/carry her out of the Pit over the edge, gently putting her down on her feet, not realizing that its effects would affect him too in a short time; though not as instantaneous as it was with her due to its more second hand effects.
They pulled back for air, panting and looking into each other as Alfred whispered, "My dear love...I missed you so much...", and Caroline smiled tenderly, "I'm right here, my beau...I'm not going anywhere without you...",
He then felt active kicks against his belly, with Caroline wincing slightly with a laugh, "I think Jane agrees with you...I can't believe it, yet I do...The Pit is truly something. I don't feel sick anymore or anything.".
Ra's voice coldly chuckled, "That's the wonders of the Pit.", and Alfred instinctively protected Caroline, watching Ra who replied, "Relax, Alfred Pennyworth, even I have the honor to respect a pregnant woman's vulnerability. If you please take your fiancée back with the family, we still have another reunion to do.".
Alfred truly doubted Ra's words. If it served his purpose, he'd easily kill a pregnant woman without a moment's hesitation or a second thought and probably wouldn't even lose a wink of sleep over it. Of course, Alfred wasn't planning on trying anything... not yet at least. He and Caroline went back to the rest of the family before both of them were shackled up, Ra making sure to keep his bases covered extensively.
Ra then motioned his hand before another group of servants started carrying in Thomas' body, "Now, with how long Thomas Wayne has been dead, this will take some time... but not like we are in a hurry. I, of all people, have learned the value of patience." He was probably chuckling to himself in his head by thinking that but no one else was really laughing.
The family watched as Thomas' body was placed into the Pit's liquid before his body sank beneath the surface. No one had any real doubts now after everything they had seen but just the sheer waiting was keeping them on edge. Private thoughts of it taking as long as possible just to hopefully spare a few extra minutes of Martha having to go to the machine.
Martha was anxious, feeling Kel's worried energy, but they trusted Thomas, waiting just over 13 minutes before they saw the liquid of the Pit stirring, and then Thomas emerged, with a shout of life, his body almost reacting like he was in the shooting of his murder, with his heart all healed and back to perfect health.
Martha almost wanted to rush right into the Pit to help Thomas while trying to fight off the tears before Ra's men moved to grab Thomas who was trying to swim his way out of the pit. Thomas clearly looked like he hadn't aged a day nor regained some youth like Caroline. Perhaps it was because he was a bit younger when he died even if it was mid 30s. Thomas coughed a few times as he lied on the floor when Ra walked up to him.
"How does it feel to live again after so many years, Mr. Wayne?", Ra said. "It's a very strange experience... I myself was left dead for almost three years once.".
Thomas looked rejuvenated from what Martha's seeing, all healthy and rosy, no time of decay on him anywhere, with his favorite casual formal clothes all renewed and all.
He took a deep breath, glancing at Ra, "Surreal is the word I'd use...No offense, but you aren't exactly the first face I'd wish to see...Can I please see my wife?".
Ra took a step back and motioned to him before Thomas looked straight at Martha as the tears were rolling down her face. "Thomas...", she whispered.
"Martha...", Thomas ran towards her and took her into a strong hug as he started to sob as well. Martha clutched into Thomas's jacket, "Oh, Thomas!", sobbing as she can feel his heartbeat racing and feeling his hands holding her tight, his body trembling in his sobs, "Martha! Oh, god, I love you so much...", pretending that he wasn't there with her and Kel only some hours ago, not going to reveal it to the bastard who hurt Martha and this family.