𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞
𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟓, 𝟏𝟗:𝟒𝟕 𝐞𝐝𝐭
"𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆?" 𝐁𝐀𝐓𝐌𝐀𝐍 asked Miss Martian. Her and Superboy were unloading supplies he had requested them to get.
"Everything on your list, Batman, plus groceries." She put a box of the down, Wally immediately running over.
"Cookie fixings?"
"Snickerdoodles."
"Babe, you rock my world."
Lily walked up to her as she put another box down.
"And what flavor cookies does our friendship mean to you?" She jokingly asked.
"A lot of double chocolate chip." M'gann smirked in response.
"You're my best friend." She said very enthusiastically.
"What, because the other kid is your boyfriend?" Wally mocked her from the other box.
"Will you stop?"
"Absolutely not."
Batman, Zatara, and Tornado suddenly vanished, one of the boxes of groceries falling to the ground.
"Dad!" Zatanna called out from the elevator. The others looking in shock.
❀❀❀
After figuring out that all the adults on the planet were gone, Robin and Zatanna sifted through the data as the others helped kids to the refugee center at the high school gym.
As of now, Lily was with Kaldur, searching through the street for any kids that were stuck in cars, or in their homes alone.
Lily found what looked like a five-year-old girl in a car seat, but the car door was jammed.
"Kaldur, mind giving a hand?" He came over and ripped the car door open, Lily taking the little girl in her arms.
"I want my mama." She cried into Lily's chest.
"What's your name kid?"
"Margie."
"We'll help you get your mama back, Margie. But for now we have to get you to the school so your mama knows where to find you when she gets back, ok?" She smiled sweetly at the young girl, who nodded in response.
"The rest of the street is clear, once we get this one back we can take a break and check on the others." They started making their way back as Kaldur spoke up again, "I never imagined you'd be so good with kids."
"I guess having a family when I'm older is something I've always thought about. I mean, I used to dream about wanting things I couldn't have. But now I guess I'll have that chance. I've just always had a soft spot for younger kids."
They walked over to a group of giggling kids that Artemis was watching.
"Oh, for me?" Wally asked as the toddler gave him his sippy cup.
"Did you call home?" Artemis whispered to him.
"No answer." Wally replied.
"You could zeta there if you wanted to, you don't have to stay." Lily told him, in a surprisingly comforting way.
"I've been collecting kids all day. I don't need to see another empty house, but thanks Lily." They heard the doors open and saw Conner with kids all over him.
"Got three more." Lily just laughed as Margie looked at him. Then she got an idea. Lily stepped away and tried calling Billy but he wouldn't pick up.
"Where are you, Billy?" She whispered.
"Who's Billy?" Margie asked.
"Hopefully someone who could help get your mama back if he picked up the phone."
"Why isn't he picking up the phone?" Oh boy, she sure asked a lot of questions.
"I would like to know that too." Lily sighed as she tried again. Nothing.
❀❀❀
Robin, Aqualad, and KF broadcasted world wide to tell everyone to just remain calm and help in any way they can. Afterwards, Aqualad and Lily met up with Kid in the souvenir room.
"I finally got through to Atlantis. No adults there either."
"So... just how desperate are we? I mean, this thing could definitely come in handy."
"We're not giving up yet. We'll figure this out on our own, Wally. And as much as it hurts to say, the next person to use this might not come back." Lily said as she looked down at the ground.
"Exactly." Aqualad agreed.
"So... not that desperate."
"Not yet."
"Guys?" Zatanna said as she entered the room, "I-I'm ready to try my father's locator spell."
Robin pulled up the map on the computer, Zatanna stepping forward before she spoke.
"Etacol retnecipe fo yrecros." She chanted, a location appearing on the map.
"Coordinates locked. Roanoke Island. You did it." Robin told her with a smile.
❀❀❀
After a while the team was deep diving into some more details before a voice suddenly spoke up.
"It worked!" Lily turned around and Billy was just standing there.
"Where did you come from? Who are you?" Aqualad asked him.
"Quick, read my mind." He looked to M'gann. M'gann gasped as she realized something.
"He's... Captain Marvel."
"Yeah, and I'm Speedy Gonzalez." Lily gave Billy a smile, him returning the action with a nod, "Look, just because he believes he's Cap-"
"Gee, Wally, do I really have to bring you nachos and pineapple juice to get on your good side?" Lily laughed at Wally, covering her mouth as she did so. The rest of them just looked at Billy.
"Oh, and what are you laughing about? Wait, did you know?" He yelled.
"Yeah, actually I did. Everyone, I would like you to meet Billy Batson, a.k.a Captain Marvel." She said very proudly.
"Wait you're actually... and you... oh, come on." Wally put his hands on his face with a groan, Lily just laughing more at him.
Having Billy switch worlds repeatedly too get the plan ready was, for Lily, quite tiring. She could only imagine how he felt.
"But the key to this mission is a coordinated simultaneous attack. And hope the two dimensions merge naturally back into one."
❀❀❀
After finally getting a plan together, Billy had went with the League to Roanoke Island while the team went by bio-ship as per usual.
"So, when were you going to tell us your boyfriend was actually Captain Marvel?" Wally asked her with a smile on his face.
"Stop calling him my boyfriend! And I don't just go running around blurting people's secret identities, Wally." Lily glared at him as she said this.
"We're here." M'gann spoke up. The others put on stealth, Robin and Artemis trying to sneak on Klarion, who was alone. But he quickly put up a shield before he could be hit.
"That's the best you can do?" Klarion asked them, he had lightning struck in their position. Aqualad, Superboy and Kid quickly went in for an attack. Klarion quickly put up a force field.
Lily tried attacking it with her plants, Zatanna attempting to use an incantation to break the field. But it didn't do anything.
"Heh, baby magic." Klarion used an incantation to send Zatanna flying, Superboy just barely catching her.
"Not you again. You're just annoying." Klarion told Lily.
"Yeah, I have that kind of effect on people." She smirked as she sent vines crashing into his force field. But he used lightning to send her crashing into Artemis.
"Hey! When Fate possessed Wally at the tower, he told me to take out the cat." She whispered to her as Artemis helped her up.
"Good. Not the big cat fan, anyway." She shot an arrow at Teekl, but Klarion turned it into a ball of yarn.
"Show them what the familiar to to a lord of chaos can do, Teekl." Klarion chuckled as he used his magic to turn the cat into a raging beast, Superboy immediately going up to fight him. There was a sudden spark of lightning from the gem in the center.
"So you teamed up with the grownups. Teamwork is so overrated." Klarion used the lightning in the gem to strike Artemis and Robin, Aqualad using his Atlantean magic to absorb the lightning instead.
Lily put up a wall of vines to protect herself, when she brought it down, Aqualad couldn't take the lightning anymore. Another flash of lightning flashed as Billy appeared next to her.
"It's the-" Liky covered his mouth and looked over to M'gann, who nodded.
L: Don't shout, Billy. M'gann telepathically linked you to the rest of us.
B: That's so cool. I mean, it's the gem, at the center of the pentagram. Destroy it, and we win.
Lily looked down before she remembered what Kent had told her, about Gaia. She smiled back at Billy.
L: Okay.
She stepped back and held her arms out, remembering the incantation Kent had taught her in the sub-space. Billy just looked at her in confusion.
"Taerg Aiag I nommus uoy ot ssessop ym ydob dna tcetorp ruoy suoicerp neerG." She chanted, a bright green light glowing below her as her eyes glowed white, the wind blowing around her. Aqualad looked over to Zatanna and saw her grabbing the helmet.
"Zatanna!"
"Stop!"
But she didn't listen as she put the helmet on.
"Klarion! You dare harm my precious green, splitting the heart in two?" Gaia spoke angrily.
"No fair, you're both cheating." Klarion whined.
"This ends now." Fate replied.
MM: Billy, tell Zatara and Batman.
"Right, yeah. Shazam!"
Klarion kept throwing fire blasts at the two, but they kept dodging it. Fate hit his shield with a blast of magical lightning, Gaia using her own magic and Lily's to create vines to crack through the field, almost like glass.
Aqualad hit it with his water bearers, M'gann using her telekinesis to throw large rocks at the field one by one. But Fate was fading in and out, Zatanna almost falling.
"Ha! There... see? When the world's divided, the helmet split, too. You're not all here, Nabu. And you're losing hold of that poor soon-to-be-dead girl! She gave herself up for nothing." Klarion told him.
"He might not fully be here. But I am." Gaia replied to him.
"And Fate decrees her sacrifice will not be in vain." Everyone used the last bit of power to take down the field.
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" Klarion yelled in anger. Fate used his symbol to bind Klarion.
"Now, Kid!" Aqualad yelled to him. Kid ran and grabbed the gem in the middle.
"Doc, catch!" Kid threw the gem towards Fate, who caught it and recited the spell to merge the worlds back together.
"Boy, they sure don't make evil immortal sorcerers like they used to. Oh, well." Klarion spoke calmly as he snapped his fingers, getting rid of the bind, "Fun while it lasted. Teekl!" Klarion clapped.
The raging beast transformed back into its normal formal, jumping into Klarion's arms. He opened a portal before turning back to the others.
"See you later armadillos. Unless I see you first. Ha ha ha!" He jumped through the portal, Kid running over to Fate.
"Aren't you gonna stop him?"
"To what end? Klarion is chaos personified. He cannot be contained."
"Did we win?" Robin asked as he got up.
"At a cost." Kaldur replied.
"Fate!" Zatara started, but he changed his mind to take a more calm approach, "Great Nabu, release my daughter."
"No." Fate replied, Gaia narrowed her eyes, "Hear what the helmet wants in these hours. The world needs Doctor Fate and the girl's natural affinity for the mystic arts makes her the perfect candidate."
"You can't do that!"
"She has her own life to live!"
"Kent would never allow you-"
"Kent Nelson did object, strenuously so I released his spirit to the after life. He is gone." They all noticed Wally's shocked face at Fate's statement.
"You are wrong." Gaia spoke up, everyone turning towards her, "That is not the destiny I have written for Zatanna. I merged your spirit with the helmet, for the other lords of order, at the request that you allow me to choose who you possess. And you are only supposed to take the girl for but a few mere moments. However..." Gaia turned towards Zatara, who nodded to her.
"Take me instead. My skills are already at their peak. My body is physically stronger, better able to withstand the strain of your power."
"All true. But if I remove the helmet what guarantee have I that you will don it?"
"My word." Zatara spoke an incantation of promise, as he did Fate turned to Gaia.
"And you have chosen this mortal to be a more permanent holder?"
"Yes. His destiny will be intertwined with yours." She replied. Fate descended, taking off the helmet, Zatanna reappearing before them.
"Dad!"
"Zatanna!" He embraced his daughter before kissing her on the head, "Remember... I love you." He took the helmet from her, Zatara turning towards the others.
"Take care of my girl."
"You have my word." Batman replied.
"No, please! This was my fault! Dad, don't! Dad!" Zatara painfully ignored her as he put the helmet on, allowing Fate to possess his body.
"Leave these to Fate." Fate took the sorcerers and teleported away with them. Zatanna fell to her knees, Batman turning to Gaia.
"And you'll let her go without a cost I'm hoping?" He asked.
"Until you require my assistance. I will always rely dormant within the girl till she decides to use the incantation. Just promise me you will continue allowing her to assist in protecting this world."
"You have my word as well."
"Nruter siht ydob ot sti lamirp luos." Lily gasped, her eyes rolling back as Batman caught her. Giving a sigh of relief as he held her.
❀❀❀
𝐌𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞
𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟕, 𝟎𝟗:𝟏𝟔 𝐞𝐬𝐭
Everyone had told Lily what had happened when she woke up yesterday morning. Now her and the others were helping Zatanna get her things into a room in the cave.
"And my room's right next door, if you need anything." M'gann told her.
"And I'm on your other side if she's not home, or something." Lily added.
"Thanks, I, uh, could use a little alone time, okay?"
"Of course." Artemis replied.
"Take all the time you need." Lily told her. She walked out of the room, making her way to her own and hugging her knees as she looked back to the photo of when they beat Twister.
Things were so much easier then.
Why couldn't they be now?
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