Of Knights and Queens by BillA1
Copyright March 2008
Disclaimer: The characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash and their respective secret identities are all owned by DC Comics. This story is intended for my own pleasure and is not for profit. It has been posted to this site for others to read. Places and characters not own by DC Comics are my own creation. This story is based on characters and situations from the fanfiction story: The Signs of Air and Water by Merlin Missy. Spoilers up through Destroyer and The Call. Set during the Batman Beyond time period. Part of the R 'Verse; while familiarity with that series is recommended, it is not required to enjoy this story. Thanks to Merlin Missy for her helpful comments, but any mistakes you find are mine. Dedicated in loving memory of Jessie and Ida.
A/N: If the characters seem out of character, then they probably are.
Of Knights and Queens
Rating: (PG-13)
Synopsis: Before there was Warhawk, there was Warhawk! A Rex Stewart/ Merina Curry R'Verse story.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The room was dark save for the dim light coming from his work desk. He reminded himself that he was an adult who'd been on his own for years. He'd taught shop at the high school and sometimes he'd filled in as the substitute math teacher. He'd spent a lot time away from work on League business and had paid for it professionally. Most of his colleagues thought he was doing drugs, possibly splicing. He'd been on teaching probation more than once and often reflected that if he'd put as much effort in his day job as he put in his night job he'd be the principal or vice-principal of a school by now.
But that was the price he'd paid because he'd gone into the family business where the definition and the requirements of success were very different. And yet he didn't think of himself as being successful in that chosen occupation until his Dad confirmed to him one day at lunch how proud he was of him.
Women just didn't understand how important it was for a man
to hear his father tell him that he was proud of him. Moms always accept you. But Dads approve you. And yet, Rex Stewart
would tell himself every so often that he didn't need his Dad to tell him he
was proud of him, because he was an adult responsible for his own success ... and
for his failures. He didn't need his father's approval for the way he chose to
live his life.
Rex slumped in his chair. If he truly believed that, then why
was he going to call his Dad?
Only hours ago, Merina had told him
in the privacy of his bedroom that she would be in love for both of them. He didn't
tell her that she didn't have to be. He didn't tell her that he'd never stopped
loving her all the years she was away ruling Atlantis. He didn't have to say a
thing because she already knew.
Yet, things were still complicated. He'd been an emotional wreck for the three
years she'd been gone. Everyone knew that. There were times when he thought the
only reason Superman allowed him to stay in the League was because of a
misguided sense of loyalty to his parents. But now Merina
was back and would stabilize the ship of his life. Or so he hoped.
He dialed the special number back to the Metropolis Metrotower which would route the call through a special
gateway that allowed real-time conversations with distant points in space. It
was one of the many devices Static and Gear had designed for the League. The transmission went through and his heart
leaped in his throat as his father in another star system picked up and said,
"Hello?"
"Hi Dad."
"Hey son. What's up?"
There was a pause. "Is everything okay?"
Rex was quiet. He suddenly felt as if he was five years old
and had just broken his Dad's favorite coffee cup. "I have something to tell you."
The silence on Dad's end lasted about a heartbeat. "I'm
listening," he said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm good," Rex answered, too quickly he'd later
reflect. "You remember Merina from a couple of
years ago? We had dinner once or twice before, remember?" Rex didn't wait
for his Dad to answer before he continued, "Well, she's back. I mean she
and I are back together." He
paused. "I think this time for good."
His father's response was measured. "I see." There
was a silence before his Dad said, "I thought she was married and ruling
Atlantis."
"She was just the caretaker ruler there, Dad. She's
back on land now."
"Is she still married?"
There it was, finally out there in the open. Rex sighed
loudly, now he knew making this call was a mistake. "They don't do
divorces in Atlantis, Dad."
The silence this time was long enough to hum the entire
first movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Or so it seemed.
Rex could hear a trace of disappointment in his Dad's voice
as he said, "I see. So you're dating a married woman? Does that sound like
a smart move to you?"
Rex's voice rose in volume and in firmness. "I wasn't
calling for your permission. I just wanted you to know she was back. I just wanted to share my excitement, but I
guess making this call was a mistake. Give mom my love. I'll call later."
He ended the transmission without giving his father a chance
to respond. Rex slumped in his chair. There wasn't enough glue in the world for
the five year old to put this cup back together.
Rex said nothing to Merina about
his call to his Dad. But the call and the way it ended bothered him making for
a restless night. Two days later the
phone in his apartment rang just as he let himself in. He'd stopped at the grocery store to pick up
some things for the dinner he was going to fix for Merina
the following night. He hurriedly threw
his bag of groceries in the chair and picked up the phone just before it would
have gone to his answering machine. He'd expected the call to be from Merina confirming tomorrow night's dinner as he said, "Hello?"
"Hi."
"Mom?" His voice was
higher than he wanted, partly from the surprise of hearing his mother's
voice. Normally she wasn't the one to
make calls. Dad did. She'd answer the phone, but generally didn't initiate
calls.
"Hi. What's up?" He paused. "Is Dad okay?"
Guilt raced through him. What if something was wrong with Dad and his last
words to his father were angry ones. He'd never forgive himself.
His mother's voice was soft, but firm with a tinge of attitude.
It was a voice he'd heard her use his entire life. It was her 'listen up. I
have something I want you to do' voice and there was no arguing with it.
"Your father's fine," Mom said. "I'd like for
you and Merina to come here for dinner this Saturday.
Would you make that happen?"
Crud.
He noted the "I'd" and not "we." He lowered his head even knowing she couldn't
see it as he said, "Dad told you she's back, huh?"
"We talked."
"Mom, this may not be the best time for a visit. You
know what I mean." He sighed. "Honestly?
I probably made a mistake in saying anything to you guys, especially to Dad."
"Rex, we like Merina, but it really
doesn't matter how we feel about her, does it? It only matters how you feel.
Your father and I watched how you ... coped when she was away. Rex, falling for someone who is not free to
commit to you will only break your heart.
Your father is concerned for your happiness -- and so am I."
He'd grown up hearing the story of how his Mom and Dad had met,
parted, and time traveled together and were finally wed.
Dad later told him that his mom had been engaged to someone else when they first
met, but that he didn't know it at the time. If he'd known, who knows how things might have
turned out.
Rex plopped down in the chair next to his groceries. "Mom, I'm not stupid. I know you're concerned -- and I know why."
Mom didn't miss a beat as she said, "Then you know that
we're not criticizing and I expect you both for dinner. The four of us will
have a very pleasant evening." She paused and he could hear the smile in her
voice as she said, "I promise."
He'd grown up with that voice, too. It was her 'everything will
be alright' voice.
"Five," he said.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
"Huh?"
"There'll be five of us. You, Dad, me, Merina and her son, Arthur."
There is an art to breaking bad news to people. Rex learned
that lesson early in his life. Always give Superman bad news after lunch; Barda, early in the day. It didn't matter to Kai-Ro when
bad news came as long as it wasn't Cassandra delivering it. With Merina it wasn't as much when as where. No bad news in the
quarters - his or hers - ever. So he met her in the lunch room the next day
because he'd also learned early on in life that bad news doesn't get better
with time.
There was no easy way to put it so he simply blurted it out
as soon as she'd taken the second bite of her salad. "We're all invited to
my parents for dinner this weekend."
She put her fork down, quickly swallowed and reached across
the table to touch his gloved hand. He moved his hand forward to meet hers.
"All?" she asked. "Who is
'all'?"
"All as in you, me and Arthur."
He frowned. "'Invite' was the wrong word. Let's call it a command
appearance."
"Oh." She paused. "You told them we were dating
again."
He nodded. "They want to see you. Well, actually mom
wants to see you and meet Arthur. I think my Dad would be happy just to kick my
brains in."
Merina leaned back in her chair
and folded her arms. "They want to make sure the old married broad isn't
going to jack over their boy, right?"
Rex leaned forward across the table, removing his glove as
he did so and smiled. "Look, I don't need their approval to be with you and
Arthur. Never did. You know that."
Merina shook her head, leaned
forward and grasped Rex's hand. Squeezing it, she answered, "No, you don't
need it, but you want it -- and so do I."
(The next day)
It was only by pure happenstance that Merina
and Kai-Ro were able to defeat the Illusionist.
She'd never backed away from any villain before, but the Illusionist, with
his ability to project images that seemed so real to his victims, was someone
she hoped never to meet again.
Kai-Ro agreed to write the after action report so that she
could check on Arthur. She was halfway down the corridor to her quarters when Barda stopped her.
"You've got a visitor in the Rec
room." Barda's smile looked unusually devious.
"Who is it?" Merina asked
as she tried to step around Barda, but the big woman
stepped into her path blocking her way.
"Warhawk."
Merina's eyes narrowed. "Warhawk? He's not a visitor.
Would you pass to him I'll see him after I get Arthur."
Barda frowned. "Not him. Her. The first one. This one's mother."
"
"Arthur's in the Rec room with
her."
"What!"
Merina closed the distance from Barda to the recreation room in less than two minutes and exploded
through the double doors with such force the doors slammed into the wall with
her entrance.
Rex's mom was seated on the couch with Arthur in her lap.
She wore her black and silver trimmed costume, complete with her black helmet. It was clear to Merina that this was not going to be a casual meeting.
This Warhawk had not been startled by the sound of the double
doors hitting the walls. Instead, she continued to gently rock Arthur as she
held up a picture book in front of him and pointed to items on the page. She
spoke to Arthur using words Merina assumed were
Thanagarian. Arthur pointed at the pictures and tried to wrap his tongue around
some of the difficult words. Warhawk laughed and
hugged the boy every time the child got reasonably close in pronunciation.
"How dare you kidnap my son?" Merina
snapped. "I don't care who you are. You have no right to take my child
anywhere without my permission."
Warhawk looked up and flashed a
quick smile that faded as rapidly as it had appeared. She put the book down and
stood. Her mace dangled from her hip. "I'm sorry if I caused you any
distress," she said. "I was
just reading to him, entertaining him, you know. Here, you can have him."
She handed the toddler back to Merina. Warhawk's eyes narrowed as she slowly added, "Sorry if
you were concerned."
Merina did a rapid check on
Arthur. He was dry and in good spirits. Suddenly and surprisingly, Arthur
turned to reach for Warhawk, but Merina
grabbed his hand and held it. Rex's mom smiled, folding her arms across her
chest as Arthur voiced his displeasure at not being allowed to play with this
other woman. Warhawk sat down on the couch watching
Arthur struggle in Merina's arms as he tried to reach
her.
Merina's frown deepened as she tried to quiet the unhappy child.
"Do you play chess?" Warhawk
said suddenly. "Your father was very good at the game."
Merina balanced Arthur on her hip
as she shook her head. "I get what's going on here. You've made your
point. But I'm not going to play any stupid games with you. I do not have time
for this."
"Yes, you do," Warhawk
said with a smirk. "There's no one, but you and me ... and Arthur here. No
one will dare come in here or ask for you until I leave." She stood and walked to a small table which
had a chess game set up. She looked back
at Merina. "Let's call it privilege." She
paused and sat down at the table. "Looks like someone
has started a game on this board.
Why don't we finish it?"
Merina shook her head. "No. I
think I'll just leave. But you should know that Rex and Arthur
are the most important people in my life. I won't stop seeing your son and I
won't ask him to stop seeing me."
Warhawk looked up at Merina and then back at the board. "I'll be black."
She picked up the black queen and moved it and then said, "Queen to Rook
Five. It's your move."
Merina's frown deepened as she shook
her head in mock disgust and walked to the door holding Arthur. Suddenly she
stopped and turned around. "Let me guess. I'm supposed to play you for
Rex? And if I lose I'm not to see him anymore. Is that it?"
Warhawk stood. "Don't be
stupid, woman. My son isn't some trophy you can play for -- or play with. He's a grown man who doesn't need me or his
father to make life decisions for him." She grinned. "I just wanted
to see you again and meet your son before Rex's father did." She paused. "You know, your son looks a
lot like your father." She spread
her wings and floated over to Merina. Arthur's face lit up and he reached out for
the woman's wings.
Merina grabbed for Arthur's hand,
but Warhawk seized it first and Arthur literally
tried to crawl over his mother to get to the winged woman. Merina sighed,
realizing the battle was lost and handed the child over. Warhawk
cradled the boy gently and floated back to the chess board holding the giggling
toddler. She sat down and looked over to Merina
standing near the door. "It's still your move."
Merina took a deep breath and
walked slowly to the board like a condemned prisoner. As she looked over the
board, Warhawk stood, signaling for Merina to sit, and then she walked to the middle of the room.
"Okay, I moved," Merina
said as she stood.
Warhawk wrapped her wings around herself
so that Arthur could touch them. She turned her back to Merina
and called out over her shoulder. "Let me hold Arthur for a while. Just
tell me where you moved."
Merina's growl was just barely
audible. She sat back down and after a moment said, "My move was Knight to
Knight Four."
"Pawn to Knight Four. You don't
know what having this conversation with you means to me. I don't get to talk to
many women about my son."
Merina looked up. Warhawk still had her back to her, opening and closing her
wings playfully letting Arthur briefly touch them before she moved them. Merina looked back at the board. "Pawn to Queen's
Knight Three. I love Rex and the last thing I want to do is hurt him."
Warhawk paused half a second
before answering, "Knight to Queen Five. He loves you too, Merina. He's prepared to sacrifice everything for you. Again!
What are you prepared to sacrifice for him?"
Merina studied the board. "Pawn to Queen's Bishop Three." She looked up to
see Warhawk staring at her. "I don't have to explain
anything to you. I said I love him."
Warhawk put Arthur down on the
couch, handed him the picture book and stood in front of him. "No, you
don't have to explain anything to me. Love is about choices and commitment. Rex
has made a choice. Only you know how prepared you are to make a
commitment."
Merina looked down at the board
again. Rex's mom was going to win this chess
game unless she made a mistake. Merina cursed under
her breath. The woman had probably set the board up, pretending it was someone
else's game, just so she could demonstrate that she could beat Merina at any time, at anything. And Arthur wasn't helping
by being so enthralled with this woman with feathers.
"I don't need a lecture from anyone about commitment," Merina snapped. "Let me tell you a story. There was one
time I thought Rex had been killed and I was completely devastated. When Batman
handed me his helmet, I literally dropped to my knees clutching it. Kai tried
to comfort me, but I thought that helmet was all I had left of Rex. And there
were so many things I wanted to say to him and I thought I'd never get a chance
to tell him how much I cared for him. It was like I had died with him and for
a moment I contemplated returning to Atlantis right then and there. Then he
turned up alive and I couldn't take my eyes off him. I kept
wanting to touch him to make sure he was still okay."
Merina pursed her lip together
into a straight line as she firmly added, "I am royalty. I know how to
carry myself in public. I know how to show no emotions during stressful times.
I've been a princess and a queen and yet when he reappeared, I rush up to him
and hugged him like a silly schoolgirl and didn't give a damn what the world
thought. And at that moment, I knew
right then and there that his life was more important to me than my own and I'd
do whatever it took to keep him from harm. If that's not love, I don't know what is,"
Marina leaned back. "It's your move."
Warhawk gave her a long look, then looked down at Arthur. "Yes it is," she said
softly. She cleared her throat and said, "Knight to King
Seven. Check."
What? Merina smiled, not believing her luck. Warhawk
had made a mistake in moving the knight. She should have moved her rook. "Queen
takes Knight. Checkmate," Merina announced. She
looked up as Warhawk shrugged her shoulders.
"Looks like winning runs in the Curry blood," Warhawk said. "I'm heading back to my home now. Looking forward to seeing you and Arthur this weekend."
She walked to the door, turned around and said, "Take care of my son."
Then she walked out of the recreation
room.
Merina watched as this first Warhawk left the room, then she sat down next to Arthur. It was then that she realized that she'd been holding her breath. She picked up Arthur and hugged him.
"My mom was here?"
They were in Merina's quarters. She'd just changed Arthur and watched as the lad squirmed to get into Rex's arms. She kissed the boy on the forehead and offered him to Rex. "She left about an hour or two ago."
"Nugjat Maj!"
"What?"
Rex sighed, flashed a quick grin apparently for Merina's sake, took the boy and said, "Nothing. What'd
she say?"
Merina rubbed the back of the
boy's head as Rex held him. "Said Arthur looked like my father. Said she
looked forward to seeing us, all of us, this weekend. She played with Arthur. I
think she really liked him and I know he liked her. Oh, and we played chess."
She paused before adding, "I won."
The look on Rex's face was worth charging admission to view.
"Whoa," he exclaimed. "Back the truck up. You beat my mom at
chess?"
She took the child back from Rex and placed him on the bed.
"Yeah, but you don't need to act like I leaped over a tall building or
something. My brother taught me how to play a respectable game of chess."
Rex's expression flattened.
"Put your smile back on," Merina
continued. "She let me win. And I'm sure she knows that I know that. Did that sentence
make sense? Anyway, I think we have a lot in common - besides you I mean."
Rex grinned. "I'm sure you do. You know this weekend
may not be so bad after all." He pulled her close, kissed her and then unexpectedly
held her at arm's length. There was a slight look of dread in his eyes as he
asked, "She didn't happen to mention which one of them was making the dinner,
did she?"
Merina just shook her head and smiled. "It doesn't matter. Everything is going to be just fine." She kissed him and glanced at Arthur. "We're all going to be just fine."
END
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