Book Two - Part One: Spectre

Epilogue

6 Months Later:

Laurie walks through her living room, the farmhouse looking more lived in, more looked after, she's heavily pregnant now, ready to give birth. And she is ready. The nursery all decorated. The crib put together. But none of them by the person she wanted it to be. Tony, Scott, and Dick had been firm fixtures in her home since she returned, helping her get the house ready. Elena, Jean, Barbara with them. Barbara and Laurie bonded over their joint pregnancy, though Barbara was a few weeks ahead of her. Laurie had someone that talked her through every weird thing happening to her body, all the changes, and freakouts. Barbara was at her side. And she was more than grateful to have these people. She doesn't know what she would have done, if she had to do it alone. Laurie struggles to carry an arm full of shopping. She glances up hearing voices, finds Tony and Elena sat at her dining table with Dick and Barbara, Elena fussing over the baby in her arms. Jason Grayson. Named for their lost brother, and only mere weeks old. Tony smirks a little watching Elena with the baby before he pales slightly with the realization of what could be his future. He looks to Dick who smirks, he knows that look. Dick's eyes shift and find Laurie, he smiles softly.

"Hey, Laurie" he greets, Tony spins around to see his sister and then stands before heading toward her.

"You shouldn't be carrying all that" Tony scolds taking the shopping from her. "You should be resting...putting your feet up, looking after your son"

"Stop fussing" she complains slightly as she sits on the couch, Tony shakes his head a little, he's not going to argue with her, not when she's so close to popping. He'd come around a little when he visited her in the hospital after the whole...Harlem thing. Seen how upset and how broken she was by losing Bruce....again, he'd caved, comforted his little sister as she cried in his arms. "I'm perfectly capable of looking out for myself" she mumbles pulling off her coat. Tony's eyes linger on her arm. Whilst the burns she suffered have healed they have forever left her scarred by them. She clears her throat and Tony looks down ashamed of himself, he hates that something hurt his sister so bad. Laurie looks down at her bump and smiles sadly. Elena hands Jason over to Dick who smiles all lovingly down at his son. Elena leans back in her seat before standing and moving to Tony who leans in the kitchen doorway watching Laurie. She's a shell of herself really. She looks tired, and not just from her pregnancy but from...everything that happened. Tony wraps an arm around Elena and kisses her head. "Ow," Laurie whispers touching her bump, her fingers hovering slightly before she cringes and cries out, curling around her bump. Elena and Tony are instantly moving toward her.

...................

In a private hospital, Laurie sleeps as Tony rocks a baby in his arms, his nephew, Philip Robert Banner. He's proud of Laurie. She could have easily changed his fate and whilst none of them would have held anything against her for choosing so, he knows that she would never have been able to live with herself. That choice would have changed her. Warped her. But here she is, with a son. A beautifully weird son. Tony smirks a little and adjusts the blanket around the baby. Tony spies an open envelope sticking out of her jacket pocket and fights the urge to look at it. He's nosy, can't help himself. He pulls the letter from the pocket and envelope, shaking out the paper slightly to straighten it. It's from Bruce. It's worn, well-read, ink running from her tears, possibly Bruce's as well. The different colors of ink where he's stopped and started again later on. He glances toward where Laurie lays and then back to the letter before he sits in the chair, careful of the baby in his arms. He takes a breath and reads through the letter.

...........

Laurel

I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am and I will completely understand if you do not read this letter. If you no longer want anything to do with me, but I wanted to write all this down. Just so you know, how much I care about you.

I could kiss you a thousand times and still not be satisfied. My love for you is endless, and so tender, and so complete. I love you more and more with each passing day, and it eases my mind to know as tomorrow approaches, that I will love you more tomorrow than yesterday, and tomorrow I will love you more than today. 

You are my reason to live. Without you, I am nothing. I have nothing. The next few years will be hard, but nothing will keep me from loving you. I love you more than you could ever know; you are my entire world. I just want to let you know how much I love all that you are and will grow to be. You are truly my love, my soul mate, and my best friend.

You've seen me at my worst and still took me as I am and right now you are so very far away from me and it's killing me. And I'm sorry because it is my fault we are apart. But I want you to know I love you from the deepest part of my heart. I'm always so lost for words when it comes to you. I just wish there was a way that we could be together, but I can't see it. But know that I love you and always will. There is nothing that will ever change the way I feel about you.

There's a place in me where your fingerprints still rest, your kisses still linger, and your whispers softly echo. It's the place where a part of you will forever be a part of me. I promise that you will always be in my heart.

When I found out about your pregnancy, for the first time in my life, I had something to believe in. To believe that we could do it better, that I could do it better than both our fathers had. To believe that something good could come of this curse. I still believe that. I still believe in you and our child. And I trust you to do whatever you think is best for you and for them. Whatever that choice may be.

I love you. Both of you.

Yours, always.

Bruce

.......

Tony has tears in his eyes as he looks up from the words and to Philip in his arms. He wonders what Bruce would think of his son. Of the green eyes and the green skin that adorns him. Elena rushes through the medical room doors, causing Tony to stand from his seat and drop the letter from his hand, caught out. He looks to his fiancée as she hurries to Laurie's medical equipment, her eyes wide and panicked.

"Lena?" Tony asks. "What's going on?"

"There was a spike in gamma radiation" Elena states checking on Laurie's readings. Tony looks to Philip and frowns, nothing seems out of the ordinary with him....except for the green tint to his skin. His eyes shift to his sister where they widen just as the machines start to beep and alarm around them. 

"Laurie" Tony whispers watching Laurie's burn scars disappear from her arm and hand right before his eyes. Laurie's fingers start to glow with her forcefield energy only they now glow with a green light that swirls around her fingers and up along her forearms. Elena and Tony share a look before looking to Laurie's face. When Laurie snaps her eyes open.....they glow green.

'Spectre will return......'