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: And all for the Want... co-written with Merlin Missy. Spoilers up through Destroyer and The Call. Set during the time between Destroyer and 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.

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...Of a Nail

Rating: (PG-13)

Synopsis: A drabble back story about a couple of mercenaries named Shayera and J'onn from the story And all for the Want....

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I.

When the omega-level alert sounded, John pulled Shayera aside before they stepped on the transporter pad.

"I'd like to talk to you later when we're done," he whispered.

It was no secret that John and Vixen were now finished as a couple. They barely spoke to each other except when it was absolutely necessary. But Shayera had never forgotten the way John told her about their son and in the same breath said he was staying with Vixen.

"I'm busy, maybe tomorrow," she answered.

Later when Superman told her that John was dead, she realized that tomorrow could never come.

II.

There is no inner peace in a bottle of gin or tranquility in a glass of whiskey. Shayera knew this first hand because she'd spent the last six weeks trying to find them there.

When she wasn't drinking, she was crying and Shayera didn't cry.

In the beginning, others drank with her trying to erase the pain of John's loss. But soon she was by herself again as she'd always been, as it seemed she would always be.

It was only when Carter put his hand on her shoulder and said, "Stop," did she find a reason to do so.

III.

It wasn't love that made Shayera agree to marry him. They both knew that. It was comfort. It was companionship. It was many things, but it wasn't love.

But Carter cared for her in a way he knew no other could and he knew that over time she'd return his love.

Their union had been broken by a trespasser 8,000 years ago. Now the interloper was dead, but Carter still sensed his presence between them. He'd hoped she'd change her hero name to Hawkwoman after marriage signifying their unity. She never explained to him why she called herself Warhawk instead.

IV.

"Shayera... Carter's dead. If there's anything any of us can do...."

She didn't hear anything that anyone said after that. She stared mindlessly into the faces of Batman, Superman, Diana and J'onn. Their sadness matched the looks they had when they told her that John was dead. On that day there had been five of them, but now Wally was gone.

She started laughing maniacally eventually breaking into tears. "Everyone I love dies," she said to the stunned four. "I am death."

J'onn shook his head. "No, you're not. This planet still lives because of you. Your legacy is life!"

V.

With no fanfare and the Javelin the League gave her as a parting gift, Shayera left Earth. On Galtos, she stopped for supplies and to see an old friend. There she was betrayed to the Thanagarian resistance and captured in a carefully planned ambush.

Beaten and assaulted daily, she pleaded for a death they laughingly wouldn't grant her. On Earth she'd lost her homeworld, her rank, her fiancé, her boyfriend and her husband. On Galtos, she was disfigured and lost an eye marking her as a traitor forever.

When she finally escaped, Shayera swore her days of losing were over.

VI.

Within five years, news spread throughout the galaxy of a ruthless one-eyed, female Thanagarian mercenary. Eventually, the news made its way to Earth and League Headquarters. No one was sure that the one-eyed woman was Shayera, but no one was prepared to chance some unhappy alien seeking revenge against Earth as retribution for her crimes.

Over J'onn's protest, Batman edited the records minimizing the involvement of Shayera Hol in League history. It was Superman who sealed them. Later that year when Ming died suddenly, the Martian left Earth intent upon never returning, wondering how the Earthlings would rewrite his history.

VII.

It'd been fourteen years since her escape from the Thanagarian resistance. Remorse was no longer a word in her vocabulary. It had been replaced with careful, ruthless and merciless. She had one rule: Those who helped her were well rewarded. Those who failed her were severely punished. So she wasn't surprised when a Zangorian asked if he could join her growing band of mercenaries.

"What do you have to offer?" she asked.

"Just friendship," the Zangorian answered as he morphed into someone she hadn't seen in fifteen years."

"Welcome aboard," she said as she happily flew into the Martian's arms.

VIII.

In the old days, they'd fought side-by-side on Apokolips. He'd been her supporter after the Thanagarian invasion. They'd stood next to each other when the League turned themselves over to American justice during the Cadmus affair. He was with her when she tried to drown the sorrow of John's death with drink.

Upon reflection, J'onn had always been there for her.

When the mercenary jobs Shayera took went bad, and sometimes they did, he was always standing at her side. His life on Mars was gone, so was his life on Earth. From now on his life was with Shayera.

IX.

She'd known him for almost twenty-five years, yet she'd been as nervous as he was about mating. Now as they lay cuddling in bed, she reflected that somehow it seemed natural that after all this time it would just be the two of them. They'd been aliens on Earth, but now here in deep space, they were no longer alien to each other.

"J'onn," she'd said softly, turning to face him. "In here ... always show me the real you."

He morphed into his real self and held her tighter. "No masks between us? No illusions?"

"No masks," she smiled. "Ever again."

END

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