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randomplaces2017-06-14 10:09 pm
random_xtras) wrote in randomplaces2017-06-14 10:09 pm
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Futureknight Epilogue
Ronnie watched as Narmo leaned over his guitar, his eyes closed as he strummed the heavy-metal piece he'd written in honor of his father and new sister.
"What do you think, Mornbein?" She glanced down at the two day old girl and chuckled wryly at the look of bliss on the baby's face.
"That's not too loud for her?" asked David in concern.
"For Lobo's kid?" Kid Flash paused in his attack on the buffet table to give the Police Commissioner a funny look.
"Never mind." David scooped the baby out of his wife's lap and lay his cheek on her soft black hair as she waved her tiny fists excitedly.
"Is this some kinda Eldari thing? Having a wake eight months after a guy dies?" demanded an armored man with feathered wings.
"Don't bother answering, David." Ronnie stood, the servos of her suit whirring softly, and calmly walked toward the threatening figure. "Airman, are you drunk?"
He eyed her in an unfriendly manner. "I don't drink alcoholic substances, as the members of the Justice League know."
Ronnie half wished she'd come as Batman as she held her fingers over his glass. There was a beep and she quirked an eyebrow. "Alright, people, who spiked the punch?"
"I wonder." Star crossed one leg over the other and wriggled her bare toes.
Wonder Woman cocked her head, clinging to her trademark silence as an enigmatic smile played over her mouth.
"You?" asked Nightwing in surprise, her skirt and batwing sleeves swaying as she turned to look up at the armored woman.
Wonder Woman just turned and walked away.
"Could we say a proper goodbye to Lobo without getting Airman drunk?" asked Flash, her green eyes dancing behind her mask.
"We could try." Ronnie took the offending glass and set it aside. "Remember, this is a welcome party for Mornbein, too. She won't like seeing her aunts and uncles get into a fight."
"I don't get into needless altercations," said Airman, his eyes straying toward Misti.
"We could take him to the parking garage," said Dragon Fire.
Ronnie gave her a Look.
"Wow." Little John shuddered. "You must take lessons from Batman. I'm glad you're not mad at me." He glanced at Nightwing to see what she was doing and turned red as he saw her looking back at him.
"Too bad Batman didn't come," said Clark with a sigh, then raised his eyebrows as Green Ghost choked back a laugh.
Ronnie watched them, then turned to David as he walked over and smiled at her.
"That reminds me," he sub vocalized, the words tickling her ear as they came from the tiny speaker set there. "Why is it Batman?"
"Family tradition," she replied the same way.
He quirked an eyebrow, rubbing Mornbein's back as the baby sneezed and gave a squawk of outrage.
Ronnie chuckled and turned her so that she couldn't stare at the lights. "My great, great grand aunt, Mary Grayson always went by 'he' while she was in uniform."
"Couldn't people tell the difference when she got older?"
"She never grew up," said Ronnie softly. "She was born in the same lab as Aunt Clara."
"Oh." David frowned. "Right. I've read about her."
"She lived a good life. Prudence and Aunt Clara say that nothing ever knocked her down for long." Ronnie took Mornbein back and cradled her close, smiling as the tiny girl sighed and closed her eyes.
"Whoop!" Kid Flash suddenly popped into sight doing painful contortions to avoid vibrating through Ronnie and wound up halfway through the floor instead.
"You got a death wish or somethin'?" asked Narmo rhetorically as Green Ghost pulled the young speedster out.
"Go zoom!" announced Zippy suddenly.
"No!" Flash grabbed at empty air where the toddler had stood, then blurred away herself. "No zoom!"
"Yay fer zoom." Star hopped off the table she'd been sitting on and sidestepped Silver Bat as he came to rescue Nightwing from the puddle of punch Little John had just dumped on her. "Beauty ready ta come back ta Ama?"
Ronnie looked away from her cousin and his sidekick and glanced down at Mornbein's sleeping face. "Err…"
"What is it 'bout you 'n my kids 'n grandkids?" Star chuckled and took the baby, then glanced up as Con got onto the stage.
"Alright, people," he said, reaching down and flipping the switch on Zippy's restrainer suit. "As you know this party is in honor of Lobo and his youngest daughter, Mornbein. If any of you have words of farewell or welcome please feel free to come up and share them." He picked up the disgruntled toddler and bounced him gently, his blue eyes going distant. "Yeah. Welcome to the family, Mornbein, 'Black Beauty'. You won't be meeting your dad for awhile, but there are a lot of people here who can tell you about him as you get older."
Ronnie hooked her arm through David's as person after person stood on the stage and welcomed the black-haired baby. Very few added awkward goodbyes to her father.
David looked down at her grimly. "Should I go up?"
"Don't ruin his reputation." Her mouth quirked. "God and his family knew what he really was. The rest doesn't matter."
"Yeah." Narmo came to lean on the wall next to them, grinning down at Clara as she wriggled under his arm.
Ronnie glanced at them with a smile, then turned back to the stage in time to see Star step up and look down at the assembled guests with queenly dignity.
"What's that?" asked David as a white light seemed to flicker around Star's brow.
"Glory," murmured Ronnie, her heart constricting as her Aunt's earthly form became superimposed with a shimmering, flawless image clothed in blinding white.
"Not everyone is seeing this?" David glanced around.
"I don't know." Ronnie smiled as Mornbein woke in her mother's arms and looked with wide eyes at something that only she and Star could see.
"Jesus," said Star softly, holding her newborn up. "Thank You for this child. I give 'er back ta You now, t' serve You all the days she inhabits this body, 'n ta shine Your glory inta the world of Men." She cocked her head and looked inward. "Lobo, husband no more…"
"So we'll go no more a roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
"For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And Love itself have rest.
"Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a roving
By the light of the moon."
As she spoke she seemed to dwindle, the light fading till only Star was left, once more scarred and lame, cradling her tiny daughter close.
"It was good while it lasted. Thanks, Jesus," she whispered, then stepped down and limped from the room.
* * *
Batman stood between two gargoyles, looking down at her city, Robin a happy murmur in the darkness behind her.
She cocked her head as a motorcycle roared overhead, headed toward Metropolis, her mind swiftly processing information even as it lingered on the Glory that had shone in Star's form.
"Signal," said Robin, zipping out of the shadows.
Batman glanced at it, then bowed her head briefly before launching after her sidekick and leaving the rooftops and the gargoyles to the night.
(poem is "We Will No More Go a Roving." by Byron, and belongs to him.)
"What do you think, Mornbein?" She glanced down at the two day old girl and chuckled wryly at the look of bliss on the baby's face.
"That's not too loud for her?" asked David in concern.
"For Lobo's kid?" Kid Flash paused in his attack on the buffet table to give the Police Commissioner a funny look.
"Never mind." David scooped the baby out of his wife's lap and lay his cheek on her soft black hair as she waved her tiny fists excitedly.
"Is this some kinda Eldari thing? Having a wake eight months after a guy dies?" demanded an armored man with feathered wings.
"Don't bother answering, David." Ronnie stood, the servos of her suit whirring softly, and calmly walked toward the threatening figure. "Airman, are you drunk?"
He eyed her in an unfriendly manner. "I don't drink alcoholic substances, as the members of the Justice League know."
Ronnie half wished she'd come as Batman as she held her fingers over his glass. There was a beep and she quirked an eyebrow. "Alright, people, who spiked the punch?"
"I wonder." Star crossed one leg over the other and wriggled her bare toes.
Wonder Woman cocked her head, clinging to her trademark silence as an enigmatic smile played over her mouth.
"You?" asked Nightwing in surprise, her skirt and batwing sleeves swaying as she turned to look up at the armored woman.
Wonder Woman just turned and walked away.
"Could we say a proper goodbye to Lobo without getting Airman drunk?" asked Flash, her green eyes dancing behind her mask.
"We could try." Ronnie took the offending glass and set it aside. "Remember, this is a welcome party for Mornbein, too. She won't like seeing her aunts and uncles get into a fight."
"I don't get into needless altercations," said Airman, his eyes straying toward Misti.
"We could take him to the parking garage," said Dragon Fire.
Ronnie gave her a Look.
"Wow." Little John shuddered. "You must take lessons from Batman. I'm glad you're not mad at me." He glanced at Nightwing to see what she was doing and turned red as he saw her looking back at him.
"Too bad Batman didn't come," said Clark with a sigh, then raised his eyebrows as Green Ghost choked back a laugh.
Ronnie watched them, then turned to David as he walked over and smiled at her.
"That reminds me," he sub vocalized, the words tickling her ear as they came from the tiny speaker set there. "Why is it Batman?"
"Family tradition," she replied the same way.
He quirked an eyebrow, rubbing Mornbein's back as the baby sneezed and gave a squawk of outrage.
Ronnie chuckled and turned her so that she couldn't stare at the lights. "My great, great grand aunt, Mary Grayson always went by 'he' while she was in uniform."
"Couldn't people tell the difference when she got older?"
"She never grew up," said Ronnie softly. "She was born in the same lab as Aunt Clara."
"Oh." David frowned. "Right. I've read about her."
"She lived a good life. Prudence and Aunt Clara say that nothing ever knocked her down for long." Ronnie took Mornbein back and cradled her close, smiling as the tiny girl sighed and closed her eyes.
"Whoop!" Kid Flash suddenly popped into sight doing painful contortions to avoid vibrating through Ronnie and wound up halfway through the floor instead.
"You got a death wish or somethin'?" asked Narmo rhetorically as Green Ghost pulled the young speedster out.
"Go zoom!" announced Zippy suddenly.
"No!" Flash grabbed at empty air where the toddler had stood, then blurred away herself. "No zoom!"
"Yay fer zoom." Star hopped off the table she'd been sitting on and sidestepped Silver Bat as he came to rescue Nightwing from the puddle of punch Little John had just dumped on her. "Beauty ready ta come back ta Ama?"
Ronnie looked away from her cousin and his sidekick and glanced down at Mornbein's sleeping face. "Err…"
"What is it 'bout you 'n my kids 'n grandkids?" Star chuckled and took the baby, then glanced up as Con got onto the stage.
"Alright, people," he said, reaching down and flipping the switch on Zippy's restrainer suit. "As you know this party is in honor of Lobo and his youngest daughter, Mornbein. If any of you have words of farewell or welcome please feel free to come up and share them." He picked up the disgruntled toddler and bounced him gently, his blue eyes going distant. "Yeah. Welcome to the family, Mornbein, 'Black Beauty'. You won't be meeting your dad for awhile, but there are a lot of people here who can tell you about him as you get older."
Ronnie hooked her arm through David's as person after person stood on the stage and welcomed the black-haired baby. Very few added awkward goodbyes to her father.
David looked down at her grimly. "Should I go up?"
"Don't ruin his reputation." Her mouth quirked. "God and his family knew what he really was. The rest doesn't matter."
"Yeah." Narmo came to lean on the wall next to them, grinning down at Clara as she wriggled under his arm.
Ronnie glanced at them with a smile, then turned back to the stage in time to see Star step up and look down at the assembled guests with queenly dignity.
"What's that?" asked David as a white light seemed to flicker around Star's brow.
"Glory," murmured Ronnie, her heart constricting as her Aunt's earthly form became superimposed with a shimmering, flawless image clothed in blinding white.
"Not everyone is seeing this?" David glanced around.
"I don't know." Ronnie smiled as Mornbein woke in her mother's arms and looked with wide eyes at something that only she and Star could see.
"Jesus," said Star softly, holding her newborn up. "Thank You for this child. I give 'er back ta You now, t' serve You all the days she inhabits this body, 'n ta shine Your glory inta the world of Men." She cocked her head and looked inward. "Lobo, husband no more…"
"So we'll go no more a roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
"For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul wears out the breast
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And Love itself have rest.
"Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we'll go no more a roving
By the light of the moon."
As she spoke she seemed to dwindle, the light fading till only Star was left, once more scarred and lame, cradling her tiny daughter close.
"It was good while it lasted. Thanks, Jesus," she whispered, then stepped down and limped from the room.
Batman stood between two gargoyles, looking down at her city, Robin a happy murmur in the darkness behind her.
She cocked her head as a motorcycle roared overhead, headed toward Metropolis, her mind swiftly processing information even as it lingered on the Glory that had shone in Star's form.
"Signal," said Robin, zipping out of the shadows.
Batman glanced at it, then bowed her head briefly before launching after her sidekick and leaving the rooftops and the gargoyles to the night.
(poem is "We Will No More Go a Roving." by Byron, and belongs to him.)