AFTERMATH: Night of the Paladin

AFTERMATH: NIGHT OF THE PALADIN by BillA1

Disclaimer: The characters Batman, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, Superman & Flash and their respective secret identities are all owned by DC Comics. Static is owned by Milestone. 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 or Milestone are my own creation. This story is based on characters from the animated Justice League series episode: "Destroyer" written Dwayne McDuffie. The AFTERMATH stories are a collection of R 'Verse tales set after "Destroyer" and before the Batman Beyond time period. "The R 'Verse" is copyright 2006. A huge shout out of thanks to Merlin Missy for her beta on this story. Notes: Spoilers up through "Destroyer." A sequel to "AFTERMATH: Knots on a Rope."

Aftermath: Night of the Paladin

A Justice League Unlimited - R 'Verse Story

Rating: (PG)

Synopsis: John Stewart discovers that destiny, like an elephant, is ignored at your own peril. A John /Shayera /Rex futurefic.

Paladin, Paladin, where do you roam?

Paladin, Paladin, far, far from home. - (The Ballad of Paladin - Faron Young)

His ring flashed and vibrated on his hand, pulling him from sleep and lighting up his hospital room. He knew that this was not a good sign. Only another Green Lantern or the Guardians would call him on his ring. And his money was the on Guardians.

Stewart got out of his bed and ringed a uniform on himself. Pointing the ring toward the ceiling, he called out, "Green Lantern of sector 2814 here."

His ring cast a warm, soft, green glow, bathing the room in light as it formed a holographic image in front of him. It was Malivis, one of the senior Guardians.

"Greetings," Stewart said.

"You are in error John Stewart," Malivis said pointedly. "You are not the Green Lantern for sector 2814. Report to Oa within twenty-four Earth hours for reassignment."

The transmission abruptly faded, leaving the room in darkness. "Nice to see you too," Stewart said as he sat down on his bed.

Reassignment? I knew it was coming but .... And not even a 'what happened?'

The Metro Tower doctors had planned to release him in morning, but he wasn't going to have time to wait for their permission to go now. It would take him at best speed about fourteen hours to get to Oa. He looked at the clock on the wall.

2:45 A.M.

He pressed the communicator piece in his ear. "Diana, Lantern here. Can you hear me?"

There was silence for a moment, before Diana answered. He knew he woke her up and he would apologize later if he could. "Lantern, is there a problem?" she said sleepily.

"I need a huge favor. Can you meet me in my hospital room now?"

The silence was longer this time. "Lantern, you do know that I don't live at the Watchtower anymore, right?"

Stewart suddenly realized that he hadn't considered that she might be half a world away from him at this moment. "Diana, I'm sorry. I didn't know," he said softly. There were lots of things about this new time that he didn't know.

"I'm sorry I bothered you," he continued. "I've been recalled to Oa for reassignment and I didn't want to leave without... without asking for a favor." He paused. "It's about the 'Shayera Protocol.'"

"I'll be there in within the hour," she replied and disconnected.

Stewart breathed an audible sigh of relief.

(Later that morning)

Going to the infirmary was on the short list of things Wally hated, but he'd visited Shayera every day while she was recuperating. He would never share with either of them how distraught he'd been when it appeared that she and John had been killed. The daily visits were therapy for him as much as they were for Shayera.

Wally pulled up a chair next to Shayera's bed and placed a large mocha on her bedside food tray. Her grateful smile lit up the room.

"Wally, thank you so much," she said as she quickly took a swallow of the warm brew. "How did you know I wanted a mocha?"

He grinned widely. "I figured it'd been thirty plus years since you and I had coffee together and I knew you weren't going to get any in here unless I brought it to you." He continued to stand, sipping his own drink. "They tell me they're releasing you tomorrow."

She set the mocha down on the tray and frowned. "Yes." She paused, momentarily glanced away, and then looked back at him. "I'm going to leave the League and this planet as soon as I can, probably in a day or so."

"What?" Wally's eyes widened. "Leaving? Why?"

She was quiet for a moment before answering. "Let's just leave at that. I have to go."

Wally set his drink down on her tray and rubbed his left hand through his graying hair. "You have to do no such thing. What's up? You and John fight or something?"

She glared at him, "It's not about John."

Wally wasn't intimidated. Instead he cracked a wide grin. "Don't forget everyone, and I mean everyone, heard your last moments together thirty years ago. And now, fifteen seconds later, you want to leave the planet. Sounds phony to me." He put a serious look on his face and leaned over her bed, "You can tell me, you know, 'cause I'm the older married brother now, remember?"

She stifled a chuckle as she replied, "Maybe you're older and maybe you're not." She paused as the smile ran away from her face. "I don't want to talk about it. You can't fix this, but thanks."

"I don't want to fix anything, Shayera. But you're my friend and I don't want you running from something if you don't know where you're running to."

She shook her head. "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

Wally sat down in the chair and leaned back. He didn't look at her as he spoke, instead staring straight ahead. "Yeah, that's your answer for everything, isn't it?" he said softly. "I'm sure you can handle another Thanagarian hunting party like you did on that moon before. All by yourself. After all, you're positive they all gave up trying to kill the one who caused the empire to fall. Right?"

Her silence was longer this time and Wally pondered for a moment that he might have gone too far in reminding Shayera of the dangers for her away from Earth... away from the League. He looked up at her just as she wiped her eyes and said, "No, they won't give up."

She sighed loudly and lowered her head. "I hate it when you're right."

Wally forced a grin. "Can't stand me, huh?" He frowned as she smiled weakly at him. "Look, all I'm saying is," he continued, "you and Hawkgirl have been gone for thirty years. You're just a memory to most people, but once you show up in the universe again for real, whether it's as Hawkgirl or Shayera Hol ... well ...you'll make a nice target, you know what I mean. It would really ruin my weekend to see your head on somebody's trophy wall."

She took a deep breath and shook her head in exasperation, "Nugjat Maj! What am I supposed to do? Hide here like some gharnot for the rest of my life? I can't do that!" She pursed her lips tightly. "I can't stay here. Not now. Not after the other day."

Wally thought for a moment that her last statement sounded almost like a plea, but he wasn't sure what it was a plea for.

(Oa)

The Guardians of the Universe were in their meeting chamber at the main Citadel. Stewart stood before them, almost like a prisoner before the bar, being ignored while others talked about him as if he wasn't there. The debate had started out heated and then suddenly cooled as the Guardians settled on a course of action.

"We already have Galtre-Re assigned to sector 2814," said one Guardian. "We do not need two qualified Lanterns in one sector when our ranks are so thin."

"Agreed. The records show John Stewart was going to be transferred within two years anyway. After the Great Battle thinned our Corps, we need a Lantern in sector 2112."

Stewart shook his head and his shoulders slumped. Sector 2112 was the wasteland of the universe. There were four or five habitable planets in the entire sector and none of the life in the sector was larger than an amoeba. This was a banishment assignment and he knew it. Why are they punishing me like this?

He cleared his throat and asked, "Isn't anyone going to ask me what I want?"

Malivis, who had led the reassignment discussion, glared at Stewart for a moment and Stewart lowered his head. The Guardian said pointedly, "What you want is not our concern. The only thing that matters is what the Corps needs, John Stewart." He turned to his left and spoke, "Brother Guardian, I agree with you. John Stewart will be assigned to sector 2112."

Stewart sighed and then narrowed his eyes. His Grandma would have called this the ultimate cosmic payback for resisting his future, a future he wasn't sure he wanted at the time. He didn't want someone else deciding what his destiny should be, yet that's exactly what the Guardians were doing at this very moment: making him a chess piece in his own life. The irony was not lost on him. If I'm going to be a chess piece, I will not be a pawn for the 'smurfs.'

"Wait a minute," Stewart said. "I've been gone thirty-three years. Things have changed. There are so many things I have to get used to again. I need time to adjust." He paused, making sure he frowned as he slowly added, "To refocus."

Malivis stood up. If looks could kill, Stewart knew he would have been a bloody mess on the floor. "Are you saying you need retraining? For sector 2112?" the Guardian demanded.

Stewart was careful with his words. He made gentle eye contact with the Guardian. He focused on keeping his expression neutral. "I'm saying in order for me to be effective for you, I need to know more about this time period. If my thinking is thirty years old, I can't do the best possible job that needs to be done for our Corps."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Stewart fought the temptation to say something to break the quiet. He knew he was negotiating his future and that silence was the negotiator's best friend. Make the other guy break first.

Finally, Graila, one of the Guardians at the far end of the rostrum, broke the stillness. "Very well, we will give you three months of retraining before you go to sector 2112."

If you're going to gamble, leave nothing on the table. "Thank you, sir," Stewart said softly, "but isn't the standard training period three years?"

For a moment, Stewart thought the planet itself had suffered a quake because of the thunderous response of Malivis, "You want three years of retraining? I suppose you want on it on Earth so you can be with your friend. The same friend who so concerned you before that you requested a transfer."

Shayera! He's talking about Shayera - trying to get your goat. Ignore it. Stewart kept his facial expression flat and his tone neutral. "Yes, I would like to reorient myself on Earth; after all I am human. But I realize this is a military organization and I'm sworn to support its goals. I will go wherever needed. I need the reorientation, but not so much time that I will require three years." Gotcha.

The response was loud and sharp. "You will retrain under Galtre-Re on the planet of his choosing. But the moment he says you're ready, John Stewart, you will be sent to sector 2112. Is that clear?"

Stewart inwardly smiled, but kept his facial expression, trying to convey disappointment. "Crystal, sir. As soon as Galtre-Re says I'm ready, I'll go to 2112."

"How are you doing?" Diana asked. She stood at the end of Shayera's bed. She'd made a point of visiting every day, but she didn't stay any longer than necessary.

"Feeling good, actually," Shayera said. Her tone was flat. "I'll be glad to get out of here."

"Good. Glad to hear it," Diana said as she walked over to the chair beside the bed. "The League can always use your help and experience. I've given you and John quarters in the tower next to each other."

Shayera shook her head. "That won't be necessary. I'll be leaving as soon as I'm able. I hope to go before tomorrow night."

Diana's jaw dropped. She quickly recovered. "Why?" she asked.

Shayera was silent.

"Okay, don't answer, but let me guess. Because of the Lantern, right?" Diana said. The Thanagarian clinched her teeth.

"I should have known. So, where will you go?" Diana asked.

"Somewhere. Out there," Shayera said pointing her finger skyward. She paused and closed her eyes. "It's time for me to move on ... get control of my life again."

"You're right. You should go. Would you like a Javelin? I mean, to help you move on."

Shayera looked at Diana with her mouth agape. "What? You're giving me a Javelin?"

Diana flashed a tight smile. "We have an old one we were going to scrap. We could fix it up and give it to you. Let's call it a goodbye present."

Shayera shook her head in astonishment. "I don't know what to say."

"'Thank you' would be a start," Diana said. "The ship could be ready in about a week or ten days, then you can go tour the universe if you want. In the meantime, you and Lantern will have to be quartered next door to each other. It's the only space I have. Besides, if you're leaving because of him, you may not have to worry about that anymore. He thought he'd be reassigned to another sector as soon as today."

"John's leaving?"

Diana nodded. "John left. The Guardians called for him and he told me he was sure he was getting reassigned. He didn't know if he was going to be able to come back to say 'goodbye.'"

Diana had seen the look Shayera had on her face now once before when Shayera and Wally both had psychic dreams about a boy who was murdered in Red River, New Mexico years ago. It was an angry, hurt expression. Diana returned the glare with one of her own as she sat down in the chair. "Shayera, you're not stupid so I will be blunt. Did you ever wonder why, when you went on off-world missions, there were never less than four others with you? Did you ever wonder why you never were assigned to a mission by yourself?"

The anger fled from Shayera's face as her eyes widened, then quickly narrowed. "No. I didn't have to wonder. You didn't trust me," she said sharply.

"You're wrong," Diana said, "as you've been about many things. After you were ambushed on that moon, we realized how vulnerable you were and decided that we weren't going to let that happen to you again, not if we could help it. You have a lot of enemies in the universe because of what you did here."

Diana looked Shayera in the eyes. "It's called the 'Shayera Protocol' and we still use it today for some mission assignments." Diana frowned as she folded her arms across her chest. "Over the last thirty years, we've heard of individuals on and off-world who've asked about Shayera Hol. We didn't know their intentions and didn't care because you were dead ... or thought dead," Diana corrected. "That's changed now. Thirty years later, you show up and I personally think it's going to create a problem for you because your face is in all of the historical records." Diana paused, gauging the effect of her words on the tight-jawed Thanagarian. "Of course," she continued, "it might be less of a problem if you wore a new mask. Then you could be anybody, not necessarily ex-Lieutenant Shayera Hol, and that might give you a little more flexibility in moving around."

Diana pointed upward with her index finger and added, "Not just here, but out there."

Shayera sat silently, contemplating, then brought her hands to her lips. "I... I didn't know," she said softly. "I guess 'thank you' is in order again." She paused and then looked up suddenly. "Do you know whatever happened to the stuff that was in my room?"

"Your old possessions are on display in the museum downstairs."

Shayera's eyes widened. "My things are on display? In a museum?" She grinned and then frowned. "Wait! With the bad guys or with the good guys?"

Diana smirked. "Superman and I were the ones who packed up your room and I put the display together a couple of years ago. Where do you think I'd put you?"

Shayera didn't suppress her laughter this time. "I rather not think about it. But I can probably use some of that stuff again. Would you go with me tomorrow to retrieve it?"

Diana grinned. "I think I can probably do that."

Shayera leaned back in her bed. The laughter was gone from her face, replaced by a saddened expression. "Did John say where he thought he might be assigned?"

Diana shook her head. "No, but he promised to let me know. Just in case anyone was looking for him."

Shayera whispered, "Oh," as she turned away from Diana.

Diana stood. "Tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow," she said and turned to leave without waiting for Shayera to acknowledge her goodbye. She'd kept her word to John. She'd ensured that Shayera would stay at least a week and Diana secretly hoped that would be long enough for those two to work out their issues.

Someone around here deserves a little happiness and it may as well be those two.

Galtre-Re had watched the proceedings in the main chamber of the Citadel and was disgusted. He'd been told throughout his entire career that John Stewart had been one of the greatest Green Lanterns of all time. If they'd found any remains from his death thirty years ago, he would have certainly been interred in the famous Crypt of the Green Lantern Corps along with Katma Tui, Kilowog and others. Now he realized that Stewart wasn't great, he just manipulated the system better than others, a system that Galtre-Re's friends had died to defend in the Great Battle.

John Stewart approached and Galtre-Re motioned for him to follow. Once they were outside, Stewart said, "Greetings, Green Lantern. I'm pleased to meet you. My name is John -"

Galtre-Re cut him off. "I know who you are. Not another word until I tell you to speak."

Stewart appeared shocked, but he remained quiet and followed. Galtre-Re leaped into the air and headed for an old canteen in the quiet part of Oa, away from the Citadel. Stewart followed silently behind. They entered the canteen and sat down at a corner table. Galtre-Re placed an order for two Lavian Sloes and the two men sat in silence until the blue drinks arrived. Galtre-Re drank heartily while Stewart sipped his and then pushed it away.

Galtre-Re didn't know or care if the drink agreed with the human or not. John Stewart was not going to manipulate him the way he had the Guardians.

He glared at Stewart. "Don't assume I'm as foolish as you think the Guardians are. You don't need retraining any more than Mogo needs another moon. What are you trying to pull?"

Stewart put the glass to his lips, but Galtre-Re couldn't tell if he actually drank any of the warm liquid. "Let's just say that I need reorientation and leave it at that," Stewart said as he put the glass down.

"No, we're not going to leave it at that," Galtre-Re answered flatly. "I'm your trainer now. All I have to do is tell the Guardians you're ready and you're gone to 2112 before you can take another breath." Galtre-Re leaned forward. "I don't like you, John Stewart, and I'm going to tell you why. You and I both know Green Lanterns can time travel at their leisure. You disappear just months before the Great Battle and everyone thinks you're dead, then you suddenly reappear years after the battle that decimated our ranks is over. Convince me you're not a coward. Convince me you didn't flee when we could have used your ring the most. Look me in the eye and tell me what happened to you."

Stewart flashed an angry look, but Galtre-Re ignored it. Stewart's expression calmed. Hands folded, not touching his drink, he spoke of an encounter with a criminal named Toyman and how he and another Leaguer were blasted into the future by the criminal's weapon. Stewart told him how he'd lost his friends that day and how his life was changed forever in a single moment.

"You're the first one who's asked me what happened," Stewart said. "I guess everyone assumes what you thought, even the Guardians. That would explain the sector 2112 assignment." Stewart took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for the spot I've put you in, but I have unfinished business on Earth that I need to take care of. I promise as soon as I finish, I'll leave and be out of your sector." Stewart paused. "I just need a couple of weeks. Can you help me out?"

Galtre-Re didn't say anything. He recollected reading in the Justice League historical files how this criminal, Toyman, had sent Superman more than thirty thousand years into the future and Toyman had been present when John Stewart had reportedly died. Maybe Stewart was telling the truth. He looked at the human and recalled that the senior Justice League members he'd met like the Kryptonian and the Martian spoke highly and fondly of this John Stewart. Then he remembered reading how close the human and the Thanagarian, the "other Leaguer" as Stewart called her, supposedly were at one time. She is certainly part of his reason for wanting to stay on Earth. Galtre-Re nodded his head. "You remember the Lantern final test? Pass that and I'll give you a year on Earth if you want it."

For the first time since they met, John Stewart smiled. "Thanks. All I need is a little time to get my affairs in order, just a couple of weeks. How soon can we schedule the test?"

"Tomorrow on Rigel Nine at midday."

Stewart frowned and then quickly flattened his facial expression. "Rigel Nine? That's a long way off. Is that where you're home-ported?"

Galtre-Re finished his drink, wiped his beak and stood. "We all have our favorite planets. I have someone on Rigel Nine I'd like to spend more time with just like you do on Earth. If you do well tomorrow, we both might end up happy for a while."

Stewart nodded. "I suspect you'll be able to plan on spending a lot more time on Rigel Nine."

"Good," Galtre-Re said. "Greetings, Green Lantern. Midday. Rigel Nine." Without waiting for a response Galtre-Re turned and walked out of the canteen.

Stewart sat at the table alone staring into the bitter blue drink. His Grandma was right. It was cosmic payback on a grand scale. It was a merry-go-round he couldn't get off.

A merry-go-round. That's what Carter Hall had called it the last time John saw him alive

(33 years ago - Midway City Museum)

"Where do I find Mister Hall?" Stewart asked the museum guard. He'd dressed in civilian clothes so he wouldn't draw undue attention to himself, but the guard eyed him cautiously anyway

The guard walked over to a desk, made a phone call, asked him for his name and then told Stewart that Hall would meet him in the Egyptian display in ten minutes. Stewart thanked the guard and walked over to the display area.

It had been several weeks since the Shadow Thief broke his arm and injured Mari, since he'd found out from the Absorbascon that he and Shayera had been lovers eight thousand years ago.

He was drawn to one glass display in particular. The display case had several figurines on the shelves with little text displays about each one. A smile crossed his face as he stared at Tauret, the hippopotamus-goddess of pregnant women and childbirth. Abruptly, a voice behind him interrupted his thoughts.

"You know, of course, the most important item in that case is the cloth doll."

Stewart turned and faced the smirking Carter Hall.

"Really?" Stewart answered. He tried to keep his expression and voice emotionless.

"The doll is Seshat," Hall continued. He stood next to Stewart and stared straight ahead into the case. "She's a scribe, a record keeper." Hall paused. "She probably wrote down when your affair with my wife started."

Stewart's jaw dropped, then he frowned. "Yeah. Right," he replied as he turned away.

Hall shook his head, but continued to smile. "Look, I was kidding," Hall said. "Just trying to lighten the mood. What can I do for you?"

Stewart sighed. He glanced around the room before asking, "Is there someplace we can talk?"

Hall nodded. "My office. Follow me." Without waiting for Stewart, he turned and walked toward the museum entrance. He certainly seems more confident in this environment than he does fighting crime. More self-assured.

They took the elevator to the third floor and entered an office area. There was a receptionist there, who looked up and smiled at both men as they walked into Hall's private office. Stewart noticed that the receptionist had a nameplate on her desk that said: "Shari Desai." She looks familiar. Where have I seen her before?

There was a large oak desk in the brightly lit room. Bookcases lined the wall. Hall sat down behind his desk and pointed to a green leather chair in front. "Please sit down," Hall said. As Stewart settled back in the chair, Hall leaned forward, hands on his desk, and asked, "How is Shayera?"

"She's fine. I didn't come here to talk about her."

Hall cut him off. "Let's stop throwing the bull with each other. I don't know why you're here, but Shayera is involved somehow, I'm sure. We can acknowledge that much up front, can't we?"

Stewart glared at Hall and finally nodded. "How much faith do you have that the absorby thing was telling us the truth ... that it wasn't damaged?"

Hall leaned back in his chair, folded his arms and smirked. "You mean, do I believe eight thousand years ago, you were having sex with my wife while I considered you my close friend?"

Stewart stood and snapped, "You know, that's twice you said some snide remark about me and Shayera. I suggest you stop before I stop it for you."

Hall didn't flinch. "Easy there, GL! Look, you heard Shayera. She's the expert. If she thinks it's broken, then it probably is. For the record, I was talking about what I saw, what I felt. And I was joking with you. But apparently you, my friend, have some doubts."

Stewart plopped down in the chair again. "Don't you? Look. I just wanted to know if what I saw, if what we saw was ... accurate. I mean, this is important to me. Did I break up your marriage ... Katar's marriage in another life?" I already know I wrecked Shayera and Talak's relationship in this life.

Hall didn't answer and the silence hung heavy in the room. Stewart folded his arms across his chest, sighed and broke the quiet. "I think on some cosmic level, I owe you an apology for what happened. And I think that's what bothering me the most. I did to you, to Katar, what no man wants done to him. I stepped between a husband and wife."

Hall shook his head and then smirked. "No apology necessary," he said matter of factly. "After all, I killed you for doing it."

Stewart's eyes widened as Hall suddenly frowned. "No, that wasn't funny," Hall continued. "But you know, sometimes, I lay awake at night reliving what I saw, not wanting to close my eyes. Realizing I ... Katar ordered her murder ... your murder. You know, I hope to God that's it's not true." He leaned back and sighed heavily.

Stewart leaned forward, brought a closed fist to his lips and said, "Bashari betrayed your friendship. He broke up your marriage."

Hall nodded. "He did ... and she did too."

Hall stood, moved to the front of his desk and leaned against it. He looked Stewart in the eyes as he continued, "But you didn't. GL, we have to put what we saw in perspective. Those people, whether they were us or not, are dead. They are not us."

He paused and smiled. "You know, there are some who believe we are all doomed to be reincarnated and keep coming back until we get it right. Well, you know what? I think I'm going to get it right this time. I'm getting off this merry-go-round now. It was never the right time for Chayara and Katar. And it will never be the right time between Shayera and me."

Hall moved next to Stewart's chair. "Follow me," he said. "I want to show you something."

Stewart stood and followed Hall out the office. Hall stopped at his receptionist's desk and smiled. "Shari, hold all my calls. I'm in the tomb if anyone is looking for me."

Shari smiled back. "Right, Mister Hall." She was a beautiful, dark-skinned woman and Stewart couldn't shake the feeling he'd seen her somewhere before.

Hall led Stewart back to the elevator. Inside, he inserted and turned a key then pressed a button labeled "LL."

The elevator doors opened into a large, well-lit cavernous room with literally thousands of items and artifacts grouped together along the walls. Hall walked Stewart over to a mummy case about seventy feet from the elevator, pointed at the surrounding treasures and said, "This is where we keep the artifacts we'll put on display within the next sixty days. This sarcophagus will go on display next month. Take a good look at it."

Stewart looked at the case. His jaw dropped. The sarcophagus was large and showed the heads of a man and woman. The woman looked like Shayera except she was wearing earrings, but the man didn't look like Katar at all. "It looks like," Stewart said hesitantly, "Chayara and -- "

"Bashari," Hall interupted. "Chayara and Bashari. The Shadow Thief removed this at the same time he removed the Absorbascon. This is how the story ends, GL. I don't know the details, and I'm not going to try to put the puzzle together, but this is how it ended."

Hall paused and stroked the side of the mummy case. He stopped, smiled and looked at Stewart. "You saw Shari, my receptionist, upstairs. Tonight, we're having dinner together and in two days we're leaving for an archeological dig in Mexico."

Stewart arched an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders. "Nice looking girl. I'm happy for you."

But where have I seen her before? Oh my God.

Stewart's eyes widened as Hall looked amused. Stewart blurted, "She was the chambermaid who brought Bashari and Chayara the poisoned wine."

Hall nodded. "I figured it out a week ago. I suspect Hath-Set probably had her tortured and executed for poisoning the king and queen, shifting the blame to her when she did nothing more than bring the wine Hath-Set gave her. My thoughts are she was the most innocent victim in our little soap opera."

Stewart shook his head, then rubbed the back of his neck with his ring hand. "So you're dating her because you think she died because of us and you want to make it up to her?"

"Heck, no. I'm dating her because she's a gorgeous woman who said 'yes.'"

Stewart flashed a quick grin and then frowned. "Does she know about this reincarnation thing?"

Hall shook his head. "What? Tell her and have another beautiful woman think I'm a psycho? You're missing the point, GL. I thought I was supposed to be with Shayera. I thought fate was telling me she was my destiny, my true love. But you know, I realized while fighting Shadow Thief that she is not my true love, she is yours and always has been. I'm more convinced of that now than ever."

Hall paused and tapped the mummy case lightly. "And seeing this sarcophagus didn't help to change that viewpoint, either." He smiled tightly, "GL, I'm getting off the kiddie ride now because it's not my ride. It was always yours and Shayera's."

He paused and then made a gesture toward the elevator door. "Come on. I'll show you out."

They took the elevator back upstairs. As they walked toward the museum entrance, Stewart was struck with the notion that Hall wasn't such a bad guy after all. Maybe because he stopped running toward a fate that wasn't his.

Stewart stopped dead in the corridor. And I'm running away from a fate that's mine.

"Something wrong?" Hall asked. Stewart realized that Hall hadn't stopped when he did and was now standing at the door.

"Nothing's wrong at all," Stewart said shaking his head and walking quickly to join Hall. "Glad you found a way to get off the ride." He paused and then added, "Next time I have business in Midway City I'll look you up."

Hall smiled, "Really?"

Stewart nodded, flashed a quick smile and turned to leave.

(Now)

Stewart pushed his drink away and stood. Hall was right. It was his ride. He slowly walked outside and leaped in the air. While he was on Oa, he would go to the Crypt of the Green Lanterns to pay his respects to his fallen friends and comrades. Fidelity, Valor and Honor.

He now knew what he needed to do; more clearly than ever. First Rigel Nine, then back to Earth.

And then to wherever destiny's ride took him.

END