SARAH STEWART by BILLA1

Copyright August 2004

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. Spongebob Squarepants is property of Nickelodeon, Inc.  Places and characters not own by DC Comics are my own creation.  These stories are based on an idea from the Justice League Animated Series episode: StarCrossed Part 3 written by Rich Fogel & Dwayne McDuffie. This story is dedicated to M.A. & R. C. and anyone else who wakes up each day and decides that today is the day they will make a difference in the world.

Sarah Stewart

(- Nine Years after the Failed Thanagarian Invasion -)

*******

"Tell me the story, Daddy." The little girl in the bed patted the side her bed inviting her dad to sit along beside her. "Please tell me the story."

"Sarah, are you sure you want to hear it again. It is so sad and daddy feels so bad when he tells it."

He sat down along side the little girl who was under her bed covers. He picked up her Spongebob doll and placed on the other side of her.

"It's okay, daddy. I really, really want to hear again. Pleasssseee! I'll go right to sleep if you tell it."

She opened her eyes really wide and gave her dad the soulful, puppy-dog look that daughters are born knowing how to give. Instinctively she knew he wouldn't be able to resist her plea.

"You and your mother," He said smiling at the little four year old.

"Okay." he said, "But right after I finish, both you and Spongebob will go right to sleep. Okay?"

"Okay, daddy." She paused for about half-a-heartbeat and said breathlessly, "Now tell me, tell me, please tell me the story again."

Looking away, he sighed, and then looking into her bright face, he smiled and said,

"Okay, once upon a time, a long time ago, seven people with different abilities and different backgrounds came together and decided that they were going to try and make the world a better place by working together."

"They were all from different places and lands, but two of them fell in love. The lady was very beautiful. And you know what? She had wings and could fly."

The little girl sat up, "Just like me, daddy?"

"Just like you, Sarah." he said slowly. He placed his finger on her lips.

"Now, let me finish telling the story. The young man was a handsome green knight and always tried to do what was right to protect the people he loved.

One day, some very bad people from the beautiful lady's land tried to destroy the handsome green knight's home. But the beautiful lady fought very hard and would not let the bad people destroy the home of the people she loved.

The bad people in her land and some people in the knight's land were very angry with her and she flew away. The handsome green knight didn't forget her because he loved her very much and he searched and found her and told her how much he loved her.

She told him that she loved him, too. And they got married and they had a beautiful little girl who had her mother's red hair and wings and her daddy's brown eyes."

"Just like me, daddy?" Little Sarah asked.

He grasped her hand and patted it while smiling at her. "Just like you, my precious."

He continued, "One day, while the handsome knight was protecting some people in a far away land, some bad people from the beautiful lady's home came and took her away. But she managed to hide her beautiful baby in a cave of bats before they took her.

The handsome knight searched for one year, but he never saw the beautiful lady again. Finally, in pain from his lost, the handsome knight made sure that all the people on the planet that took the winged lady away would never hurt anyone else again."

"Daddy, that's so sad, but tell me the best part, daddy. Please."

He smiled at her and wiped a tear from his eyes.

"The best part," he continued, "is that every night, the handsome knight and his beautiful little girl look up at the stars and thank the heavens that the beautiful winged lady saved the knight's world. And every night, the handsome knight and the beautiful little girl promise each other that they will never ever forget the lady or what she did."

He cleared his throat, paused and said, "Now, my precious, Sarah. You must go to sleep and daddy must get back to work. I love you, Sarah."

"I love you too, daddy. Please say goodnight to mommy for me."

"I will, my little cherub...I will. Good night."

With that, John Stewart, formerly the Green Lantern of Earth, made sure Sarah was tucked in bed nice and tight; placed Spongebob next to Sarah, turned out the light in Sarah's room and closed the door, making sure to leave it slightly ajar.

He walked over to his small bedroom window and looked up into the starless night and whispered, "Shayera, Sarah wanted me to tell you good night. She looks so much like you. I promise you that we will never forget you, my beloved. Good night, my promised one."

And with that he gently started sobbing.

********

20 years later

********

The old man answered the door. He was leaning heavily on his cane. At his side was an old but very mean looking dog. The dog, who was sitting, made no move but studied the woman at the door waiting for instructions from his master.

At the doorway stood a tanned woman of 5'6'' dressed in a dark turtleneck top with matching slacks. She had contrasted the top with a brilliant white pearl necklace and matching earrings. She wore a long, tan, trench coat which was unbuttoned and opened to reveal her athletic frame.

She had reddish brown hair which just touched her shoulders. Her brown eyes were bright and clear. She smiled as she spoke.

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne, for seeing me. I know you don't like visitors."

Wayne looked at her for a long time as if trying to remember where he had seen her before. Then he smiled back as he found her face in the file cabinet of long gone memories.

"Sarah Stewart. Look at how you have grown. I haven't seen you in years. How long has it been?"

"Seven years since my dad's funeral."

He paused, looked down and then looked back into her bright eyes. "Sorry. It has been a long time, hasn't it?"

She never broke her smile. "That's okay, Mr. Wayne. May I come in?"

"Sarah, I'm sorry but I don't have visitors anymore." The dog, noticing the change in his master's voice, stood up ready to pounce upon command.

Sarah smiled at the dog and looked back at Wayne.

"It's okay, Mr. Wayne. I'm going to leave this planet today with a friend and I just wanted to thank you for all of your help to me and my family over the years. In talking to my dad, he said you and your friend made a lot of things possible for me and I didn't want leave without thanking you."

Wayne eyed her cautiously and then said, "I don't know what you mean by "friend", young lady, but I did want to help you when I heard about you being born with wings and all."

The smile left her face. Her look was stern. "Mr. Wayne. Please don't patronize me. I come from a family that had secrets... and could keep secrets... and I have kept many secrets."

She looked Wayne coldly in the eyes and added slowly, "Yours among them."

The silence was long. Finally, he stepped back into the hallway and said, "Follow me."

She followed him down the hallway with the dog following her. The house seemed cold and was very dark. They entered the 3^rd room on the left side of the main corridor. The room was brightly lit from the western sunlight. She noticed that it was a small drawing room with 2 sets of French doors. One set of doors led to the outside unkempt garden. The other set of doors apparently led to another room. There was dust everywhere. She sat down in one of 3 chairs in the room without being asked. Wayne broke a smile at her action. Without waiting for him to sit she spoke.

"I just wanted to know before I left if you could share any memories of my mother with me. She left us when I was so young and I don't remember anything about her beyond the pictures that dad had and his telling me she saved the planet."

Wayne sat down in a chair opposite Sarah. He looked her coldly in the eyes. "Sarah, your mom and dad loved each very much and that's all you really need to know."

She answered with no emotion in her voice. "I know that. He mourned for her everyday until he finally killed himself. When I was young, my dad used to tell me a bedtime story about how the handsome young knight made sure the people who took my mom away would never harm anyone again, but he never said what he did. I need for you to tell me." She paused and added slowly, "I really need to know."

Wayne leaned forward in his chair and pushed himself up and leaning on his cane, stood up. He walked to the doors leading to the garden and keeping his back to her said,

"Sarah, this is tough to tell and will be tougher for you to hear."

He turned around, faced her and continued,

"After your mother saved this planet, she and your father later married and you were born. But she was considered a traitor by the people of Thanagar. She knew what most of us were too naive to realize. She knew they would eventually come back for her. They did come for her - as she knew they would, but she hid you here.

His eyes soften and he cleared his throat, "Had they found you, Sarah, they would have taken you too." He moved closer and continued.

"When your father returned and found out your mother was gone, he didn't know that I had you. He thought they had taken you as well.

He searched a long time before going to Thanagar, your mother's home planet. Once there, he did the unthinkable. He not only destroyed the planet; he destroyed any satellite colonies he could find with Thanagarians on it."

Wayne paused; measuring the look on Sarah's stunned face. "Sarah, he was in such pain."

Wayne looked at her trembling hand. She was fixated upon him. "Sarah, the pain was so great that he wanted to wipe out the entire species wherever he found it in the universe."

"Sarah, he was gone for a year. Everyone was looking for him. Only when he saw you alive in my arms did the gravity of his act sink in. Shayera may have been still alive on one of those worlds and he may have killed her when he destroyed those planets. He was never forgiven and he never forgave himself."

Wayne sat down in the chair opposite Sarah and grasped her trembling hands. He looked her and smiled in awe at the resemblance she bore to her mother.

"Sarah, you need to know that, you were the world to both of your parents. You must never forget them or how much they loved you and each other. They each did exactly what they thought was right at the time. You grew up to be exactly what your mother would have wanted. You were her gift to your father and his raising you for as long as he could was his gift to her."

Sarah wiped the tears from her face. Wayne asked softly, "Where will you go?"

Sarah smiled weakly and pointed skyward, "Out there. Out there where I can make a difference in the universe, somewhere."

Wayne stood up slowly, looked at Sarah and said, "Wait here."

After he left the room, she walked to the French doors leading to the outside garden. She gazed at the setting sun, struck by the beauty of the sunlight dancing on the waters surrounding the house. She turned around when Wayne re-entered the room. Wayne set the box he was carrying on the table in front of her.

"I want you to take these things with you. They were things your mother left here when she left you here. She would have wanted you to have them. I kept them as a remembrance of her, but they are yours."

Sarah looked in the box and saw a bird head shaped helmet, a mace and a heart shaped locket. She reached in the box and picked up the locket letting the chain dangle over her hand.

She smiled at Wayne and opened the locket. Inside the locket was a small picture of a red-haired woman, a dark skinned man and a very young child. All were smiling at the camera.

With tears in her eyes, she tightly held the locket and said, "I'll take this, Mr. Wayne."

He smiled at her and closed the box and escorted her down the hallway to the front door.

When she stepped outside he asked,

"Sarah, are you familiar with the play Romeo and Juliet?"

She smiled and nodded yes.

Wayne continued, "From the prologue comes the passage:

"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Do with their death bury their parents' strife."

"Sarah, you represent the best of both of your parents' worlds. May the stars smile on you, child of the star-crossed lovers. I don't pray, but tonight - I will pray for you."

Clutching the locket, Sarah hugged him. He was awkward and uncomfortable in returning the hug.

"Thank you for all you have done for me and my family. I shall pray for you as well," she said. "Farewell, Mr. Wayne."

"Farewell, Sarah Hol Stewart."

Wayne closed the door to his mansion as the young lady disappeared down the walkway.

END