#20: Jack And Jills (Walsh / Burchette / Flinchum)

Previously, in A DC2 Christmas...
...Ray Palmer, the superheroic mighty mite called the Atom, proposed marriage to his long-term girlfriend Jean Loring, prominent Ivy Town attorney; now, after months of battling the likes of Overmaster, Starbreaker, Kanjar Ro, the Key and more, the time is drawing nigh for the nuptials, but not before the members of the League must guide the happy couple through...the pre-wedding parties!

Justice League

Issue #20: “Jacks and Jills”
Written by Don Walsh and Brian Burchette
Cover by Roy Flinchum
Edited by Mark Bowers[/center]

The Hall of Justice
“Thanks a lot for taking monitor duty for me tonight.” Kid Eternity walked down the hall, alongside J’onn J’onzz, the Manhunter from Mars. “I really hated to disappoint Dawn, and all the regulars are out. For that fact, how come you aren’t going out for the Atom’s bachelor party? I thought all the guys on the team were invited?”

“For the same reason I suspect you call Ray Palmer by his heroic identity,” J’onn replied as he entered the monitor room, and logged in the start of his watch.

“Yeah, I guess. But you’ve been with the team a while,” Kit countered. He had stopped at the doorway and watched the alien methodically settle into the least liked responsibility a League member had. “I’m just the Casper-come-lately.”

“Ready to go?” Dawn Makes Strong Move stepped up behind Kit before J’onn could answer. She was dressed in a sleek, stunning red dress with spaghetti straps and flared at the mid-thigh. Her thick black hair was done up in dozens of slender braids, and her entire look was softened from her usual manner of dress. “The exhibit starts in half an hour. Hey there, J’onn.” She waved at the Martian.

“Good evening, Dawn. Good luck with your show. I am quite excited about seeing it myself.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really. I have my ticket for the weekend.” J’onn gave a slight smile and slow nod of his head.

“Great! Well, now I guess the pressure’s really on,” Dawn replied with a chuckle. “Anyway, all set to go, Kid?”

“You bet, Dawn. Thanks again, J’onn. The kids are around here somewhere on base. I think they mentioned planning to go and check out the satellite.” Kit started after his date for the evening. “Something about the twins missing the stars. Anyway, have a good night!”

J’onn’s smiled widened a bit more and he swiveled his seat back to the monitor station. He reached down to a small cabinet beneath the main console and pulled out a package. “How can the others not enjoy the peace and tranquility of monitor duty?” he murmured to himself as he picked out an Oreo.

The Jills
Ivy Town VFW Hall
“Tell me again why I’m here?” Barbara Gordon asked Helena Bertinelli as they stood at the door of the elaborately decorated hall.

“Because Dinah asked you to come along, in case, for some reason I haven’t figured out yet, she was to run into Ollie.”

“And Kate showed up... why?”

“Kate went to law school with both Jean Loring and Rachel Green. They all roomed together.”

Barbara nodded her head. “That still doesn’t explain why you’re with us.”

Helena shrugged. “Thought that was obvious; bunch of heroes mixing with civilians during a celebration... this has some kind of brawl written all over it.”

“So you’re here for the...”

“... inevitable battle, yep.”

“Great.”

As the women of the Outsiders made their way through the banquet room towards a table in the back, they suddenly found themselves face to face with Diana. She was dressed in a rather conservative business suit, her hair pulled back. She stood there with her hands on her hips and a broad smile covering her face.

“It is good to see some familiar and friendly faces. Welcome, sisters!” she said as she gave them each a hug. Barbara was overwhelmed by her warmth, always had been. Dinah’s smile was just as large as she hugged a woman that she had looked up to for so long. Kate’s hug was briefer but just as friendly. Helena’s was rather stiff and uncomfortable, but if Diana noticed, she did not let on.

“It’s a magnificent celebration, don’t you think?” the princess asked them as she swept her arm around her.

“It’s very beautiful, Diana,” Dinah agreed. “You did a wonderful job.”

“I only helped a little. Actually it was Kendra and Rachel who did most of this. I’ve also been told that Kendra has a big surprise for everyone later. I’m not sure if I should be excited or nervous.” She laughed.

“I’d say a little of both would be in order.” Barbara chuckled back.

“Please, get something to eat at the buffet and enjoy yourselves. I see that Jean’s mother and grandmother have arrived. I’ll be back.” Then she turned and strode through the small crowd of women.

“She’s amazing,” was all Kate could mutter after she left.

Barbara nodded her head. “She is at that. Let’s get something to eat, I’m starving.”

The Jacks,
on the other side of Ivy Town
“I don’t know why Atlantic City got shot down,” Oliver Queen said again as he and Hal Jordan walked up the stairs of the old apartment building.

“Because Katar was asked to be best man, and when he learned there were...obligations involved in the position, he insisted on seeing them all through.” Hal shrugged his shoulders as the pair reached the door to Ray Palmer’s apartment. “You know Katar. By the book. It’s kind of neat, in a naïve space alien kind of way, really.”

“By the book. Not the phrase I’d use, pal,” Ollie shot back with a laugh as he knocked at Ray’s door. He caught the look in Hal’s eyes and held his hands up protectively. “Hey, I promised I’d behave around old beak-nose, and I will. I just wonder what sort of fun we’re going to find in East Overshoe.”

“Hey, guys, great to see you; glad you could make it!” Ray said as he opened the door and ushered the two mismatched best friends into his apartment. “Katar and Ralph are here already, and Barry called. He’s running late...” Ray paused as the group groaned and chuckled at the continued irony of their teammate, the Fastest Man Alive. “...and will meet us at the restaurant.”

“Restaurant?” Ollie arched a quizzical brow and glanced over at Katar Hol.

“You heard right. I selected an excellent restaurant, rented a private dining room, selected the courses myself,” Katar responded quickly, sounding challenged by the archer. He looked stiff and uncomfortable, his powerful frame jammed into a dull blue suit.

“Sounds good to me,” Ray said. “A nice quiet night of good food and good friends before getting sent down the aisle. Should be fun.”

“You can count on it, Ray old pal,” Ralph said as he wrapped an arm around Ray’s shoulders and escorted him from the apartment, followed quickly by Katar. “You have a nice easy night coming to you.”

“Right,” Hal added as the emerald allies took up the rear. “Good, clean fun.”

Ollie winked at Hal as he heard his friend speak. “Good clean fun.”

The Kids,
Justice League Satellite
The three teenaged wards of the Justice League stepped out into the satellite’s entry hall, and away from teleport tubes that slowly wound down their humming. They looked around, slowly moving further into the sleek space station, so much closer to completion at long last.

“I didn’t think we could make anything like this yet,” Cynthia Reynolds murmured quietly, and hugged herself as she gazed at the sight. “It’s absolutely amazing.” She shivered under the thin white shirt she wore, tugging the shoulders back over her bare skin.

“It’s not bad,” Zan replied as he nodded and took stock of his surroundings. His twin sister Jayna ran slim fingers over the smooth metal wall and then activated the door that allowed them further into the station. “I guess.”

“Hey!” Cindy smacked his bicep gently and stared at him. “This is a real achievement. Maybe not for you guys, but for us, it’s something. Just think, a permanent habitat up in space. That’s...well, it’s a big deal for us!”

“What my zuser-narbra really meant was, from what we can tell of high-tech from our time with Starbreaker,” Jayna explained as she glared at her sibling for a moment. “Exor’s not much more advanced than Earth, maybe a little behind in some places, because we don’t need to have tech. Everyone shape shifts in some way or another.”

“Used to,” Zan added quietly, his head hung for a moment. “Sorry it came out bad. My sister’s always been better at language-shifting than me.”

“Yeah, how is it you guys are so good at speaking English already? You’ve only been around a couple of weeks.”

“We can shift our brains slightly,” Jayna explained as the trio walked through the halls of the satellite. “As we learn. Impress knowledge in them. It’s all kind of...esoteric? That the word? But basically, we can learn quickly by shifting our brains.”

“Wish I could do that when it comes to my algebra classes,” Cindy, also known to the Justice League as Gypsy, said. “It’s not easy when you’re home-schooled by the brains of the super-hero world.” She hugged herself tighter, and Zan noticed that his sister was also trembling a little.

“Something wrong?” he asked as he looked them both over.

“It’s cold up here,” Cindy replied as she hugged herself tighter. “I’d have worn jeans if I realized that. Why do they keep it so cold in here?”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Zan admitted as he looked around. “Is it really that cold?”

“There’s my zuser-narbra, never paying attention, forgetting that turning from ice to steam doesn’t mean that others don’t feel temperature,” Jayna teased him with a soft tap to his other arm now.

“What are you calling him? I’d like to get in on the joke,” Gypsy laughed now as she stopped to gaze out of a window, and watched the large blue and white sphere of Earth 22,300 miles below.

“In English...’wonder-brother’ I think is closest,” Zan admitted with a coppery blush. “Come on, I think the main controls are this way, and we can get this place warmed up for you two.”

The two women followed Zan as he walked briskly down the halls and into the large Command-and-Control room for the satellite. “Here we go. Hmm,” he mused as he looked over the rows of monitors and mechanisms, “this would be easier if the lights weren’t so low. Think I’ll just power them up a bit more too. This should do it, I think.”

“He’s a dunce when it comes to noticing things, and maybe the language isn’t so good, but he’s always been the family gadget guy,” Jayna said with pride as she watched Zan operate the environmental systems. The lights increased, and heat slowly started to filter across the decks.

“That should do it.” Zan turned around and bowed low. Then the lights turned red and a siren started to clamor throughout the halls. Zan snapped back up straight and tall and looked at his sister. “That wasn’t me!”

“What is it then?” Cindy asked as she looked around the room, trying to make sense of the information scrolling across the screens.

“Something’s loose?” Jayna suggested as she looked over some screens as well. “Yeah, I think...there was something up here...it’s why the satellite was so cold.”

“What could they be keeping up here? Doesn’t sound like the League, keeping something trapped.” Zan looked over at his sister, and tried to make sense of what was happening.

“Maybe a big space monster with a tentacle on its forehead?” The twins heard Cindy’s rattled voice from the doorway.

“That’s crazy. Never heard of such a thing before. What makes you think that?” Zan asked. He felt Jayna tap him on the shoulder and turned around. “Oh. That’s where you’ve heard it.”

The Dharlu roared mouthlessly, baleful yellow eyes glaring down on the three teenagers, crimson skin darkening with rage.

The Jills
At the large round table in the front of the room, Jean Loring had been giggling at an anecdote that Rachel had been revealing from their college days when she heard the familiar voice of her mother, behind her.

“Is that my daughter? My God she looks like a queen!”

Jean jumped up instantly, turning to see not only her mother, but also her grandmother standing there. She was always amazed at the sight of the two of them together. Her mother was a very tall woman with striking features, her short silver hair adding a strong sense of nobility to her. Her grandmother, by comparison, was completely opposite in height as well as appearance. She was just over five feet tall, the thick lenses of her overly large glasses giving her an unusual appearance of an almost owl-like face. But her hair, like her daughter’s, was that striking silver. She also carried her purse clutched to her bosom, as if afraid somebody was about to grab it.

“Mom! Nonie! I’m so glad you could make it.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” her mother said, beaming. She gazed at her daughter. “I just can’t believe it! My little girl is getting married.”

“Let’s hope she chose better than that putz you ended up with,” Jean’s grandmother said.

“Ma!” Dory Lorring exclaimed.

“Well let’s face it, Dory; he was about as useful as those floating devices they give you on airplanes. Which, if you think about it, is a pretty good simile considering your marriage crashed and burned like the Hindenburg.”

“That’s enough, Ma,” Dory said with a nervous laugh. “Excuse us; I think Ma’s sugar has dropped again. I better get her something to eat.”

“But I’m not hungry,” the older lady protested.

“Yes you are. We need to stuff your mouth... I mean, feed you.”

As they walked away, Jean turned back to her guests at the table with an embarrassed grin. “They’re very close.”

Rachel grabbed her friend. “Jean, look who’s over there,” she motioned to the table at the far left of the room.

For a second Jean couldn’t figure out who she was talking about, then she saw Kate Spencer sitting at the table talking with other women. “She came!” Jean exclaimed. “Come on, let’s go say hello!”

It seemed to the others at the table, that Rachel was unsure for a second, but then she put on an obviously fake smile. “Love to.”

The Jacks
“And that’s when this guy comes in, no word of a lie, dressed in purple with big bug-eyes on a helmet,” Ray explained as Ralph laughed at the memory of the case. Hal shook his head in disbelief at the criminal’s description, while Katar plucked a piece of sushi from his plate and tossed it into his mouth. “He’s got these two micro-tech insects that chew through steel, see, and he uses them to get into the bank vault. Not a bad bit of engineering, but easy enough to counter. While I’m working on his little bugs, Ralph here stretches down behind him, taps him on the shoulder.”

“‘Who are you supposed to be, buddy?’ I ask the guy,” Ralph added, as he took over the story, his skin rippling as he tried to suppress his laughter to speak. “And he answered, ‘I am the fearsome Bug-Eyed Bandit!’”

The group wailed in laughter, even Katar losing his normal stoicism. “Fearsome?” Hal choked out.

“That’s what made it so great! Bright purple, fake green bug-eyes, and that’s his name!” Ray continued. “So Ralph replied, ‘What kind of name is that?’ And, to the guy’s credit, he gets a great one off.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ralph shook his head in dismay. “‘As good a name as Elongated Man, buddy!’ Well...what could I say? I just socked him in the jaw and he dropped like a sack of potatoes.”

“And that’s when he stopped wearing a mask,” Barry finished as he wiped a tear from his eye. “I mean, really...at that point, Ralph’s as fearsome a name to crime as Elongated Man, he figured.”

“I wish I had Bug-Eyed Bandit,” Oliver Queen said as he rubbed his aching side. “No, I get guys like Dart and Count Vertigo. You lucky duck. And speaking of what I get...you know, I’m just not a sushi guy.” He pulled his cell phone out with a wink at Hal. “Who wants to get a pizza with me? No offense, beak...er, Katar. Just not a fish guy.”

Katar narrowed his eyes at the archer, not from being insulted. “What are you up to, Queen?”

“Just dialing Pizza King is all. Who’s for all meat?” Hal chuckled and took a deep drink of his beer as Barry began to tell a story about trying to clean his house in a hurry after first learning of his super-speed.

The Jills
“... so I toss Catwoman off of me, look down to the street below, and there’s Dinah, kicking the holy crap right out of a bunch of Starro-possessed military men, fighting with Ollie, and ignoring the advances of Eel. That was some battle,” Kendra was saying to the Outsiders at the table.

Dinah smiled politely, “It was a pretty big crisis, that’s for sure. I’m really surprised we made it out of that one alive.”

“Oh no,” Kate whispered as she saw Jean and Rachel coming towards her.

“Well you knew it was going to happen eventually,” Babs said.

“Kate Spencer, I can’t believe you made it!” Jean said as she gave her old roommate a giant hug. “It’s been so long. Rachel, look, it’s Kate.”

The forced smile became even more apparent, “Yes... yes it is. Hi, Kate, it’s good to see you.”

“Am I the only one getting the feeling that she’s lying through her teeth?” Helena whispered to Dinah.

“So, last I heard you were a big shot in Las Vegas,” Jean said as she took an empty chair next to her old friend.

“I was working for the District Attorney for a while, yes,” Kate answered politely.

Rachel cleared her throat. “Actually, the last I heard, you were let go. Something about an incident with a crime boss and an informant? I didn’t get all the details.”

There was no love lost between Helena and Kate, but at the veiled taunt by Rachel Green, Helena’s hand tightened into a fist. Barbara subtly laid her hand on top of it, patting it gently.

Kate, however, smiled back at Rachel. “Well, you know me. I’ve always believed in the truth before the pocket book.” She was pleased to see the reaction of the comment.

Everyone at the table was silent for a moment, then Jean continued talking. “So, how is that son of yours?”

“He’s doing great!” Kate piped up, genuinely happy to be talking about him. “He’s growing leaps and bounds. Of course, that means the hormones are kicking in. I’m dreading these teenage years.”

“I’m sure it’s not going to be easy for him either,” Rachel responded. “What with having a broken home and all; it probably doesn’t help the poor child.”

Kate’s face grew red. “My child is not poor, nor is he suffering. Although I do appreciate your concern for him.”

“Now this is what I was talking about,” Helena whispered to Barbara with a twinkle in her eye.

“I think it’s time for that surprise now!” Kendra exclaimed as she jumped up, wrapped her arms around Jean and Rachel, and led them to the front of the hall.

“So the three of you were roommates?” Dinah asked Kate.

The woman who was also known as Manhunter nodded in silence, wondering if she could change her name to Womanhunter just so she could take her staff and shove it up Rachel’s....

Her thought was interrupted by Kendra’s voice. “Ladies! We have a special treat for you this evening. Somebody has stopped by to wish Jean all the best on her impending nuptials. Please give a warm welcome to the one, the only, Booster Gold!

The door swung open and Booster swaggered in holding a rather large disc player over his shoulders.

Princess Diana’s eyes widened. “Hera... no!”

Kendra gave her a wicked grin. “Hera... yes!”

The Kids
The Dharlu roared again as it twisted around the corner and lashed out with its tentacle. Its aim was as true as ever, darting through the air and striking the dead center of Zan’s forehead. Zan clutched his sister’s hand as she stood behind him, and a flare of energy turned him into a watery form as his sister turned into a small bird that zipped past the red-skinned monster. The tentacle found nothing to strike as it smashed through Zan’s liquid head and it angrily smashed at Jayna with its fist. It narrowly missed the bird and dented the heavy metal bulkhead.

“Oh god, what is that thing?” Gypsy asked herself repeatedly as she darted away from the fight, invisible to sight (and she hoped whatever else that creature could sense with). “Records room, records room, c’mon!” She heard the roar again and a ripping sound from far away. She came to a skid and smiled nervously. “Here we are.”

She dove into the room as she saw an alien feline bounce down the hall and shift into an unconscious Jayna. She quickly dragged her companion into the room and covered the shapeshifter’s body with her own. She furrowed her brow in concentration and watched from her camouflage field as the Dharlu stomped by them and down the hall.

“No hurting my sister!” Zan cried as he hurled after the monster as a tidal wave, and smashed them both further down the corridor.

Gypsy stood up and helped a recovering Jayna back to her feet. “You okay? That was a nasty whack you took.”

“Fine, just fine. You look this thing up, quick though. I’m not sure how long we can keep slowing this thing down,” Jayna answered and ran out of the door and down the hall after the sounds of battle.

Gypsy turned back to the computer banks and started to type quickly. She soon learned that the creature had shut the satellite off from the Hall of Justice, and choked back tears of fear and frustration. No help, just us, and all I can do is turn invisible and hide, Cindy cursed inwardly, shaky fingers dancing over the keyboard. There’s gotta be something about this thing. The League was storing it here, they had to talk about it, they write up everything! Come on! she pleaded. Her wide, dark eyes glimmered with hope when she stopped at a file detailing the weaponry of their enemy, Kanjar Ro.

“The Dharlu.” She almost let herself smile.

The Jacks
“The wings were twice as tall as I was,” Katar explained to the others, who listened to his tale with rapt attention, all save for Ollie, who kept glancing to the door to the private dining room. “But you couldn’t tell me anything. I strapped them on, and the harness had to have enough room to slip another person in the straps with me. So I climb up to the roof of my house, hold my arms out parallel to the wings and jump. The wings fly up beautifully, like a great bird of prey. Not as much myself, who slips right out of the harness and swoops to the ground...more like a stone than a bird.”

The group laughed as Katar grinned at his own tale of humiliation. “That had to be a nasty fall,” Ollie commented with a delicious grin.

“It would have been, but without direction, the wings started to fall down as well, and I got to grab the straps at the last second and touched down, light as a feather.” He returned the archer’s grin with one of his own as Ollie looked disappointed. “But it was a different story when my mother found out about my little escapade. It was a while before I could sit for lessons again.”

The group was still laughing when there came a knock at the door. Ollie quickly leaped to his feet. “Ahh, pizza’s here! I’ll get it!” He dashed to the door with a wolfish grin. Hal folded his arms over his chest, a satisfied look on his face while Barry gave a more suspicious look.

Ollie opened the door just as the person on the other side forced it open wide, and cutting the archer off from sight for a moment. A statuesque woman stormed in, two pizzas clutched in her hands. She wore a midriff-baring shirt and short skirt and she jammed the pizzas into Ollie’s hands as soon as he stepped out from behind the door.

“Hey! What the hell are you--” Ollie was cut off by the powerful woman as she stomped over the length of the dining hall.

“You Palmer?” Grace Choi asked, her back to the other five men in the room, arms crossed against her well-endowed chest. “The guest of honor?”

Ray Palmer gulped as he looked up at the female powerhouse and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me. Aren’t you from the Outsiders?”

“That’s me.” She pulled her shirt up for several long seconds and stared down at Ray. “You got a good look?” He nodded his head and she rolled the shirt back down. “Good. ‘Cuz that’s the last look you get.” She turned on her heel and stomped back up to Ollie, and snatched the money from his hand. “Dinah and Babs kinda saw this one coming, you old horndog.” She then walked away, the door slamming behind her.

Oliver held the pizzas with a sheepish look at his partner in crime, as Barry, Ralph and Hal roared in laughter, trying to keep from falling to the floor. Katar merely sat back down and ate more of his sushi with a smug look.

Ray just stared straight ahead at nothing, a wistful grin on his face.

The Jills
The music was blaring out of the disc player as the women in the room shouted with whoops of pleasure as the man dressed as Booster Gold gyrated around the room, slowly removing his shirt.

“How much did he cost?” Diana asked Kendra, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow.

Her wicked grin appeared again. “Don’t worry about it, this one is on me. I couldn’t resist.”

Although she was laughing hard, Jean also began to blush as the fake Booster sauntered over to her, his hips thrusting to the beat of the music, as he suddenly reached down and, in one fluid motion, ripped the bottom of his suit away to reveal a blue and yellow thong. The decibel level in the room rose at the sight.

At the other end of the hall, Dinah, Kate, and Helena were standing on chairs to get a better view. The three of them had succumbed to the moment, maintaining the crowd mentality that was around them. Barbara continued to be seated, her chin resting in her left palm.

“If the real Booster finds out about this, he’s going to be furious,” Babs remarked loudly to be heard over the catcalls.

“Defamation of character?” Kate hollered down from her perched view.

“Nope, he’ll be ticked that he didn’t think of it first,” Barbara replied.

“Ma!” Came a shocked voice.

“Oh leave me alone, Dory!” Jean’s grandmother shouted back. “At my age, stuffing a dollar bill down there may be the last bit of fun I have.”

“It’s not proper!” came the reply from her daughter.

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Nonie snapped back. “Picture it, Atlantic City, nineteen eighty-five...”

“Not now, Ma!” Dory yelled as she tried to drag her mother, who was digging through her purse for another dollar, away from the scene. Suddenly she found the Booster imposter next to her, grinding against her leg.

“Oh for Pete’s sake, do you mind,” she snapped at him. She looked into his eyes and he winked at her through the mask. “I don’t need... I don’t... God, those are the bluest eyes!”

“Eyes?” her mother said. “He has eyes?”

“Shut up, Ma, and give me a dollar.”

The Kids
The Dharlu stalked the halls with determination. Perhaps even anticipation. The creatures that had been fighting it were weakening, despite valiant attempts to defy it. Soon the alien would claim their brains and then the Dharlu could find the teleportation device that would grant access to the world below. Control of the satellite was a start, but it wanted, needed control of the systems the Dharlu could sense on the blue orb far below.

A gray-skinned, white-furred simian with a horn protruding from its forehead leaped into the Dharlu, and powered it down a hall, where it suddenly slipped on a patch of ice. It roared in pain from the cold and leaped away, and smashed the simian into the wall. With the creature stunned, the Dharlu ripped out a support strut and smashed the ice slick, cracking it and forcing it to cry out in pain. The two siblings reverted back to their humanoid forms from the shock of the damage and the Dharlu’s tentacle lashed out to strike Zan’s forehead at last.

It was then it saw a shadow of movement and looked up. The Dharlu forced Zan to stand and the pair moved down the hall to the room, where it found Gypsy at long last. It knew that there had been three, and there she was, prepared for teleportation. The slim girl was about to step into the tube when the Dharlu roared and charged in after her.

“Got you, bastard!” Gypsy cried out as she watched the massive creature loom over her suddenly. The Dharlu noticed how her heart raced and her brow was covered in sweat, as if she were straining. Then it shivered hard, and glanced around urgently. The room wavered and shifted and became a small storage room, the teleporters vanishing from sight.

“Now, Gypsy!” Zan cried out as the cold in the room broke the control the Dharlu had established. The beast twisted around as it watched Cindy lithely vault past it and out the door.

As the Dharlu roared and attempted to chase after them, Zan darted out behind Gypsy and slapped the room controls, the door slamming hard into place. All three teens watched as the door buckled and dented from the roaring Dharlu’s attempts to escape. Slowly, the roars quieted and the pounding on the door subsided and all went quiet again.

Cynthia Reynolds collapsed back against the wall and slid to the floor, pale but smiling. “Never tried camouflage that big before. Can’t believe it worked.”

“You did great,” Jayna said as she sat down next to the girl and smiled up at Zan. “I think we all did, wouldn’t you say, wonder-brother?”

Zan nodded and stretched his back. “Let’s just remind the League about what they have up here, okay? I never want a tentacle jammed into my head again.”

The trio laughed as they slowly made their way back to the actual teleporters.

The Jacks
“Thanks a lot, guys, this was great! I can’t wait to tell Jean about it,” Ray said as the group stopped in front of the guest of honor’s apartment building.

“All about it?” Ralph asked with a stretched out grin.

“Sure. Jean and I have no secrets from each other. And let’s remember, Kendra was planning her party, so imagine what they did,” Ray countered. “Getting flashed by Grace can’t be worse.” He paused a moment and thought. “I hope it can’t be worse.”

“See you at the meeting next week, Ray, Ralph,” Barry said as he shook hands. “Good to see you all again, and make sure we get a poker night scheduled soon. I’m off, gotta get to work on time tomorrow.” Then he was gone before an eye-blink.

“Yeah, that’ll happen. Anyway, thanks for coming, guys. See you all soon,” Ray said again as he entered his building.

“Gotta go myself,” Ralph added. “I’m sure the missus will be wondering what I’m up to otherwise.” He stretched up to the roof and soon had disappeared from view.

“Gotta admit, beak-nose, you did good tonight,” Ollie admitted as he reluctantly stuck his hand out to the winged warrior. “Congrats.”

“Thanks, Oliver,” Katar replied as he shook the archer’s hand. “Will you be at the next meeting?”

“Nah. Time to get back into reservist mode. Lots to do in Star City.” He pulled his hand back and looked at Hal. “Time to ring us home, Hal? Much more of this making nice with the feathered fascist and I’m liable to puke up all that raw fish.”

Hal just shook his head and then shook Katar’s hand. “See you soon, give my best to the League.” Katar nodded in response and got into his harness, a green glow and winged shape taking into the night air in different directions.

The Jills
As the party wrapped up, Jean sat amid her gifts with Rachel, her maid of honor, Diana, and Kendra. All the other guests had left.

“This was... enlightening.” Diana said.

Kendra laughed. “I hope you didn’t mind, Jean, but I just couldn’t help myself.”

Jean’s good-natured laugh was infectious and they all seemed to join in. “It was perfect! The entire event. I can’t wait to tell Ray.”

The woman known as Hawkgirl raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Are you going to tell him everything?”

The bride to be grinned, “Of course. Ray and I have no secrets from each other.”

“As it should be,” Diana replied, then reached across the table and took Jean’s hands. “I do wish you and Ray all the best in your new life. I pray that Aphrodite, Athena, and Hera look down upon you on this special day and bless you both with a long and beautiful life together.”

“Thank you, Diana.” Jean said, tearing up.

“Oh no,” Kendra interrupted. “I’m out of here. That sentimental stuff is for the birds, no pun intended.”

“Where are you off to?” Rachel asked as they watched her get up from the table.

“Uhhh, well, I have to wrap up some business. I’ll see you all later.”

As she disappeared out the door, the rest of them turned, small smiles playing on their lips.

“Why do I have a feeling she’s about to tip the entertainment?” Rachel asked with a mischievous grin.

Even Diana giggled with the other two. It had been a perfect celebration. She gave a silent thanks to her deities as the three of them sat for another hour, sharing in the warmth of friendship, each receiving something special from their quiet moment together.

For Rachel it felt as though she had turned back the clock, remembering all those nights that her and Jean had stayed up late, talking of boys and classes and what they would do with their lives once they were out of college. It was nostalgia, and it was a pleasant feeling.

Diana, who had spent much of her time on “man’s world” being the leader of one of the greatest fighting forces on the planet, felt the burden lift from her shoulders. She knew it wouldn’t last for long, but she embraced it for what it was.

And Jean sat between them; for her it was euphoria that she was feeling. Life could not get any better for her. As she had done most of the evening, she couldn’t help but wonder how Ray was doing, and if he was having as much fun as she was. Ray. To her the name had only one definition: Happily Ever After...

The blackness of the night was waning as just a hint of light began to show on the horizon when they left to retire for the evening. For all three of them, the all-night gabfest would be a memory they would treasure for the rest of their lives.

The End!


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