Epilogue: The Best is Yet to Come

Shayera was back in her bed in the infirmary. The surgery on her wing was scheduled for tomorrow and J'onn was making sure that she was prepped and ready for it before heading back to his wife. Shayera deeply wished that GL could be with her too. She knew that what he was doing was important in helping to protect the Earth, but that didn't mean she couldn't be selfish too, especially since it had started to almost seem like she was winning him over to them actually being together again. It was the only positive thing about her getting shot and injured as she had been.

And that was likely another reason why John Stewart had felt the need to leave her alone right now. He really seemed to not know what - or more accurately who - he wanted; Shayera or Vixen. Getting away from both of them for the time being could well be his means of trying to figure it out before he did something he might regret. Damn him. He should be here. Right then Shayera didn't care what John Stewart needed. She was the one who had been shot. She was the one needing surgery. No matter how much she tried to play it all off as nothing, she still had the right to want him here, at her side.

But Shayera wasn't so selfish that she didn't notice what was currently happening between her other friends. She knew that Diana would be with Batman right now, confronting him about more than just what had happened over Ovada Kaah. After what he had done, Shayera was tough on Batman. She began to question how a woman like Diana could ever have feelings for a man like him. Then she remembered all the good side of the Bat, all the things she had realised days ago in the commissary watching the two of them.

And she remembered when she had been in a position similar to that Batman was in now. It was then that she realised that maybe she had been a little quick to judge, and a little quick to be angry with him. It was probably because of the issue with the future son she still knew nothing about as much as it was because of what Batman had done to her. Shayera still greatly desired to hear more about the child she was yet to have, the child she and GL were yet to have, but there was no getting it out of Batman. All she ever got was a talk about how knowing the future could pollute the time stream and change it. Shayera didn't care to listen to any of that whenever she heard it. She just wanted to know about the child. Still, when in the right mood she could see that in his own way Batman was trying to help her with that.

Just as he had apparently been helping them all back in that Warehouse. In his own, thankfully unique, way...

Perhaps Diana really did know what she was doing. Shayera certainly hoped so. If Batman did something to hurt her down there then, surgery or not, Shayera would get herself down to Gotham and really teach him a lesson.

In that moment, she knew that she was not the only one thinking about those two. Of course J'onn would know about them too. Out of respect for their privacy he might never divulge what he learned from his friends thanks to his telepathy, but Shayera knew that the Martian would know all about the feelings silently flowing between those two. She also knew that he had more than enough compassion in his soul to be thinking of them now, when the moment was really theirs, just like she was doing.

More, from the way J'onn suddenly paused while checking over her, his eyes glowing, Shayera could tell that he was listening in on them too.

Shayera forced herself to stay quiet for as long as J'onn was still. She wanted to burst out with questions. She wanted to know every little detail that he was detecting from his distant and no doubt subtle touch on at least one of their minds. However, she also didn't want to break his concentration, to cause him to miss something or to somehow accidentally interrupt what was no doubt a very delicate conversation. When J'onn's eyes returned to normal, she couldn't hold back any longer.

"Well?" she asked everything she wanted to in just a single word. It would be clear even to a deafblind fool that she knew what J'onn had been doing and wanted to hear all about it. To a highly intelligent telepath even that one word was likely wasteful.

J'onn smiled back at her, telling her instantly that it was good news, and bringing a smile to her face despite the ongoing throbbing pains coming from her wing.

"All is good," J'onn simply said. "They're both very happy."

Shayera knew exactly what J'onn meant by that. They had both admitted it. At long last, they had both admitted it. And they had both accepted it. No doubt there would be creases to smooth out, perhaps it might even take a while to be officially official, but it had happened. It was now Batman and Wonder Woman. It sounded so strange. On the surface it sounded like the least likely pairing, but the more she thought it, the more it also sounded so right. Now it really was Batman and Wonder Woman.

Knowing her friends were happy was enough to make Shayera forget about her own currently tormented love life, at least for now. The smile spread over her face as she lay her head down flat against her pillow, allowing her eyes to close as she savoured the moment and the thought of all that lay ahead for those two.

And perhaps, one day, for her too, if GL finally got his head screwed back on right.

For sure, the future could well now have a very bright shine to it. Now they just all had to live it...

This is not the end. This is just the beginning.

A/N:

And that's it! Thank you all for reading, supporting, reviewing, following and whatever the hell else you've been doing. You've all been great. Special shout outs for LloydRPG, mbembet and The Mortal Knight who've been here and reviewing away since pretty much day one. I'll not be naming the rest of you or folks who normally work back stage at awards shows will start chasing me playing loud orchestral music, but I'm thanking you all in spirit regardless, especially the other reviewers. They mean a lot.

You may be interested to know that I'm intending to one day follow this up with sequels. There's too many great characters who are too fun to write for me not to (and there's Superman too). I've got the stories cracked for at least two more that'll build on this, take the characters further and to new places while also giving all new kinds of action set pieces and drama alongside it. The new stories will be making more use of the rest of the League, while still keeping Batman and Wonder Woman very much at the core. There's even a fourth one starting to fall into place in my head, we'll see how that goes. I don't want to give anything away, but I'll just say this; I don't like sequels for sequels' sake. I definitely think these ones are worth doing and not just a rehash of what's gone before. Just don't be expecting it to be an easy ride, or any 50 Bat-shades of grey, because that's not my style.

The only problem is I don't have much free time coming up to commit to writing any of it, particularly before Christmas, so it might be a fair while before I get around to them. I'll get started now, but I don't want to start posting stuff until I know I'll be able to finish it in a reasonable time frame. I don't want to be one of these writers who publishes the start of a story and leaves it forgotten about for months, leaving you guys without any sort of conclusion.

But one day it will happen. One day I'll get at least one of the sequels finished and published. You'll know when its near because when I'm all systems go again I'll start by doing an extended epilogue to this one that'll also serve as an extended prologue/trailer to the first sequel. This "trailer" will probably be released as a separate, one chapter story a month or so before the sequel is due, so keep an eye out.

Should probably also throw in the disclaimer I forgot to do at the start; I unfortunately own none of, nor can or will profit from, any of the non-original characters, settings and events. Those grand lads and lasses at DC do. Along with some of the less grand ones over there. (Unless you're reading this several years after I wrote it, in which case, who knows...)

But all original stuff is mine! So there. If anyone wants their hands on them, I only accept offers in the form of British Pound Sterling (a politely worded PM will likely also do fine, depends on my mood).

Anyways, that's me done. For now. Hope you liked the story. Review/favourite to let me know!

See you all again soon (sometime)!