Summary: You can control gravity, but nothing prepares the Justice League's hero for falling in love with Hal Jordan, and the future that begins with one unforgettable night. (Hero name is Void, fem!reader)
All pics are from pinterest!
Asks/requests are open! Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Oa Database
The ship was different. That was the first thing you noticed. You stood in the doorway, staring into a cockpit you didn't recognize. Hal glanced over from the pilot's seat. "Bruce upgraded them."
You stepped inside. "Where's the manual?"
Hal looked at you. "The manual?"
A smile tugged at his mouth. "You used to make fun of me for reading those."
"I used to make fun of you for not reading them."
"I've never crashed one."
"Those were combat landings."
"There was combat in Kansas."
"The barn came out of nowhere." You stared at him. Hal stared back. And then— You almost smiled. Almost. You caught yourself before it happened. So did he. The tiny spark of amusement disappeared from his expression. "Manual's in the side compartment."
You sat down. The silence returned. Wonderful. This was going to be a very long mission.
You strapped yourself into the copilot's seat. Hal began the launch sequence. His hands moved easily over the controls. You watched despite yourself. He'd always been good at this. Flying. Not just with the ring. Anything with an engine. Anything that could get him off the ground. You'd once found that attractive. Now it seemed painfully appropriate. "Ready?"
You looked forward. "Yep."
The ship released. Your body pressed gently against the seat as the Watchtower disappeared behind you. For several minutes, neither of you spoke. Hal handled navigation. You studied the gravitational data Bruce had transferred to your console. Professional. Efficient. Easy. Almost.
Your eyes snapped toward him. Hal was still looking ahead. "I am not."
"I was looking at the controls."
"I'm not doing anything."
Hal's mouth twitched. "What sound?"
You stared at him. There it was. For one horrifying second, you weren't here. You were twenty-three. Hal was annoying you on the way home from some meaningless mission. You'd threaten to throw him out an airlock. He'd remind you he could breathe in space with the ring. You'd tell him you'd find another way to kill him. Then you'd both get coffee. Your chest tightened. You turned back toward the console. "How much farther?"
The humor disappeared from his voice. "Six minutes."
The anchor came into view slowly. At first, you thought it was an asteroid. Dark. Irregular. Massive. Then Hal reduced the shuttle's speed. Green light swept over its surface. Your breath caught. "Oh." The structure dwarfed the shuttle. Ancient metal curved outward into enormous rings, each one rotating independently around a black central core. Faint symbols glowed across its surface. You didn't recognize them.
Hal did. His expression hardened. "What?"
You looked at him. "That's possible?"
"Apparently." The anchor pulsed. Your entire body reacted. Not pain. Pressure. Like something had suddenly grabbed your bones and pulled. You gasped. Hal immediately turned. "What?"
You closed your eyes. Reached. The force hit you immediately. "Oh God."
You opened your eyes. "All the anchors are connected."
Hal's ring lit. "Can you trace them?"
You glared at him. "Nine years, remember?"
His jaw tightened. "Right."
You turned away. Immediately regretted it. But neither of you apologized.
You left the ship. That was mistake number one. The second you floated into open space, the anchor reacted. Its rings accelerated. Hal's voice came through your comm. "Void—"
You floated closer. Your powers wrapped around you instinctively. It had been so long since you'd moved through space without artificial gravity. You'd forgotten the sensation. There was no up. No down. Only direction. Choice. For the first time in nine years... You flew. Your breath caught. God. You had missed this. You hated that you'd missed it. "Still got it." Hal's voice crackled in your ear.
You looked over. He floated several meters away, surrounded by faint emerald light. Watching you. "Focus."
"Liar." His smile appeared. Small. Familiar. You looked away before your heart could do anything stupid.
You reached the outer ring. Hal scanned the surface. "Energy signature is strongest near the core."
"You say that a lot now."
"Would you prefer I lie?"
You placed both hands against the metal. Closed your eyes. And pulled. Gravity responded. The structure groaned. Not audibly. You felt it through your hands. The enormous outer ring slowed. Hal's scanner changed pitch. "It's working."
You concentrated. The ring slowed further. Your arms trembled. "Little help?" Green light wrapped around the structure. Hal stabilized it. And suddenly—
Everything clicked. Your gravity. His constructs. Your movements. His. No instructions. No discussion. He knew. You shifted left. Hal compensated right. You increased pressure. He reinforced the ring. The two of you moved like you'd done this yesterday. Not nine years ago. Yesterday. "Core's exposed."
"I can hold the ring for maybe thirty seconds."
"You always give me thirty."
You froze. So did he. Neither of you acknowledged it. "Go."
Hal flew toward the core.
You held the ring. Ten seconds. Fifteen. Twenty. Your muscles burned. Twenty-five. "Hal."
Emerald light exploded from the core. "Move!"
The gravitational field collapsed. Everything happened at once. Your control vanished. The ring snapped backward. The anchor released a wave of force. And you were thrown into space. Your stomach dropped. You tried to correct. Couldn't. The stars spun. Earth. Blackness. Earth. Blackness. Then—
Green. Something slammed into you. Arms wrapped around your body. Hal. His construct formed around both of you just as another gravitational wave tore through space. Your back hit his chest. His arm locked around your waist. "I've got you."
You couldn't breathe. Not because of the impact. Because you'd heard those words before. Years ago. Missions. Training. Falling through atmosphere. I've got you.
And you had always believed him. Your hands clenched. "Let go."
"We're still in the field."
"I can stabilize myself."
"Five." You hated him. You hated the arm around you. You hated how safe it still felt. The wave passed. Your powers returned. You immediately pulled away. Hal let you. "You okay?"
"Would you stop doing that?"
You stared at him. "Doing what?"
"Pretending you're indestructible."
Something inside you snapped. You laughed. Actually laughed. "Incredible."
"You don't get to do that."
His expression changed. "Do what?"
"That's not exactly something I can turn off."
"You managed for nine years."
Silence. Even through the helmet... You saw the impact. Hal's face went still. Your anger evaporated almost immediately. Not because you regretted it. Because suddenly you were tired. So fucking tired. "We should finish."
You turned toward the anchor. His voice stopped you. "I never stopped."
You closed your eyes. "Hal."
"I never stopped worrying about you."
"I didn't know where you were."
"Mine." The immediate answer caught you off guard. You turned. Hal wasn't defending himself. No excuses. No argument. Just— "Mine." He swallowed. "I know."
You stared at him. Then the anchor pulsed again. Mission. Right. You looked away. "Later."
The core was damaged. Not destroyed. Hal floated beside you as you examined the exposed mechanism. "Can we shut it down?"
"It's connected to the others." You frowned. "So destroying one..."
"Could destabilize the entire network."
"And whatever it's containing."
"Exactly." You sighed. "Fantastic."
Hal laughed. You looked at him. He looked at you. And— Goddamn it. You laughed too. Just once. Barely anything. But it happened. Hal's entire expression changed. You immediately stopped. "Don't."
You turned toward the shuttle. "Mission's over." You heard him laugh quietly behind you. And hated the tiny smile that pulled at your own mouth.
The trip back was different. Not better. Just... Different. The anger remained. So did the hurt. Nine years couldn't disappear because you'd survived one mission together. But something had cracked. You sat beside him again. Hal piloted. You stared out at the stars. After several minutes— "You have someone?"
You looked over. Hal immediately looked uncomfortable. "What?"
"I shouldn't have asked."
"You don't have to answer."
He stared at the controls. "I don't know." Liar.
You understood exactly why. Your first instinct was to tell him it wasn't his business. Because it wasn't. Instead— "No." His hands stilled. You noticed. "There hasn't been..." You stopped. Why were you telling him this? Hal waited. You looked back toward the stars. "There hasn't been anyone serious."
"I don't know what I'm supposed to say."
Silence. Then— "I'm sorry."
You didn't answer. A minute passed. Then two. Your phone vibrated inside the compartment beside you. You pulled it out. A message from Dinah.
DINAH: crisis update: the children have acquired pizza
You smiled. Another message.
DINAH: also your child has hustled Mia out of $14 playing uno
YOU: Tell her to give it back.
DINAH: absolutely not. i'm proud of her.
You shook your head. "What?" You froze. Hal glanced over. "You smiled."
Your fingers tightened around the phone. "Nothing."
His eyes lingered for half a second. Then returned to the controls. You locked the screen. Your pulse had quickened. Ridiculous. He didn't know. There was no reason he would know. To him... You were simply smiling at a text. That was all.
But suddenly the phone in your hand felt impossibly heavy. Because the lock screen had flashed for only a second. A photograph from last summer. You and Aurora at the coast. Her arms around your neck. Both of you laughing. Hal hadn't seen it. You were almost certain. Almost. You slipped the phone away. Outside the shuttle window, Earth grew larger. Home. Aurora was down there. Waiting for you.
And beside you sat the man who had no idea she existed. For nine years, those two truths had lived safely on opposite sides of your life. Now... They were getting dangerously close to colliding.
The Watchtower came into view twenty-three minutes later. You had never been so relieved to see it. Hal guided the ship toward the docking bay while you sent the data you'd collected ahead to Bruce. Neither of you spoke. That was probably for the best. You'd already laughed with him. Once. One stupid, instinctive laugh. And somehow that felt more dangerous than the argument.
Anger was easy. Anger kept him at a distance. But laughing with Hal? Working beside him? Falling into rhythms your body apparently remembered even when your heart desperately wanted to forget? That was dangerous. Because for a few seconds out there, you'd forgotten. Forgotten the empty chair at the briefing table. Forgotten unanswered messages. Forgotten lying awake wondering whether he'd regretted you. Forgotten staring down at a pregnancy test alone. Forgotten every doctor's appointment he hadn't attended. Every kick he'd never felt. Every birthday candle he'd never watched Aurora blow out. Every moment he'd missed without ever knowing there was something to miss. You looked down at your hands.
No. One mission didn't change anything. It couldn't.
"Docking in thirty." Hal's voice pulled you back.
The ship connected with a metallic thud. Your restraints released. You were out of your seat before the engines had completely powered down. "Hey." You stopped. Hal hadn't moved from the pilot's seat.
His eyes met yours. For a second, he seemed unsure what to say. Then— "I'm glad you're okay."
Your chest tightened. You looked away. "Yeah." And left before he could say anything else.
Bruce was waiting in the hangar. Because apparently Batman had never discovered hobbies. "Report."
You walked past him. "Nice to see you too."
"Did you disable the anchor?"
Bruce fell into step beside you. "Why?"
"Because I'd rather not accidentally destroy Earth."
You glanced at him. "Thank you."
Hal caught up behind you. "The anchors are connected."
Bruce looked toward him. "Networked?"
"More than that." You stepped into the elevator. "They're sharing gravitational energy."
Hal entered behind you. Bruce followed. The doors closed. "If we destroy one, the remaining anchors compensate."
Bruce's expression hardened. "Meaning?"
"Meaning best-case scenario, the others become stronger."
You and Hal answered simultaneously. "The network collapses." Silence. You looked at him. Hal looked at you. You immediately looked away. Bruce's eyes moved between the two of you. You hated that. The elevator opened. Bruce stepped out. "We'll run simulations."
You followed. "Already started."
Bruce glanced at you. "When?"
Hal smiled faintly behind you. "She does that."
You stopped. Bruce continued walking. Hal nearly walked into you. You turned. "Don't."
His smile disappeared. "What?"
"Don't talk about me like you know me."
The words came out sharper than you'd intended. Hal went quiet. You immediately felt everyone's attention shift toward you. Fantastic. You lowered your voice. "You knew me nine years ago."
His jaw tightened. "I know."
"Good." You turned and continued down the corridor. This time, Hal didn't follow.
The debrief took nearly two hours. Two miserable hours of calculations, simulations, and increasingly bad news. By the end, seventeen anchors had become nineteen. The gravitational fluctuations on Earth were increasing in frequency. And whatever the network had been built to contain... Was getting closer. You stood over the holographic table, rubbing your temple. "Run it again."
Barry sighed. "We've run it six times."
Bruce nodded. Barry muttered something under his breath. "What was that?"
"Sounded like something."
"I said you're exactly the same."
You looked up. Barry smiled cautiously. Your eyes narrowed. "Run the simulation, Allen."
His grin widened. "Yes, ma'am."
The hologram reset. You leaned over the table. Something wasn't right. The anchors weren't just activating. They were reacting. Each gravitational fluctuation happened shortly after whatever was approaching moved closer. Like—
Your eyes widened. "They're scared."
Barry stopped typing. "...What?"
"The anchors." You enlarged the network. "They're not pulling harder because they're failing." Your fingers moved quickly. "They're pulling harder because whatever they're containing is getting closer."
Clark frowned. "Machines don't get scared."
"Fine." You pointed at him. "The system is responding defensively."
Hal stood on the opposite side of the table. He'd been unusually quiet. Now he leaned closer. "If it's defensive..." His eyes met yours. "...then the anchors aren't the threat."
Your stomach dropped. "No." You zoomed outward. Farther. Past lunar orbit. Past the anchors. Into deep space. "The threat is whatever they were built to stop."
Silence settled over the room. Barry looked toward Bruce. "Any chance it's friendly?"
"You didn't even think about it."
"Optimism really isn't your thing."
You almost smiled. Then every alarm in the Watchtower went off. Red light flooded the room. You straightened. "What happened?"
Bruce was already moving. "Watchtower, report." The computer responded. Gravitational anomaly detected.
Your stomach dropped. "Location?"
Coordinates appeared. Earth. You moved toward the hologram. "Where?" The map expanded. North America. West Coast. Oregon.
Your blood ran cold. "Where?"
Bruce entered commands. The map narrowed. You stared. "No."
Dinah stepped closer. "What?"
Bruce did. Your pulse roared in your ears. Not Aurora's school. Please. Not— The location settled. Portland. Several miles away. You exhaled so hard your knees almost weakened. Not her school. Not Mia's house. But close. Far too close. "Intensity?" you demanded.
"Sixty-three percent of standard gravity."
Your head snapped up. "Still?"
The previous anomalies had lasted seconds.
Bruce's expression hardened. "Forty-nine seconds."
"Fifty-three," Barry corrected. "Fifty-eight."
You watched the counter climb. Your stomach twisted. People were floating. Cars. Debris. Anything unsecured. And when gravity returned— "Get emergency services out of the impact zone."
"Already dispatched," Clark said.
He and Diana were moving before Bruce finished giving the order. "I'm coming."
You started after them. Bruce caught your arm. "No."
You stared at his hand. Then at him. "Remove it."
He did. "We need you here."
"People are going to get hurt."
"Superman and Wonder Woman can handle evacuation."
"I can stabilize the field."
Hal stepped forward. "He's right."
You turned on him. "Nobody asked you."
His expression tightened. "If the anomaly is connected to the anchors, using your powers could make it worse."
"And doing nothing could kill people."
"I didn't say do nothing."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying don't run into something we don't understand."
You laughed bitterly. "Oh, that's rich."
Hal froze. The words had left your mouth before you could stop them. You stared at each other. Then Bruce spoke. "Enough."
You looked away. The counter reached seventy-four seconds. Then— The anomaly disappeared. Gravity returned. You held your breath. Barry's hands flew across the console. "Superman reports stabilization."
A pause. "Multiple injuries." Your stomach turned. "No fatalities."
You closed your eyes. Thank God. Then your phone rang. Your eyes snapped open. Dinah. Everything else disappeared. You grabbed it. "Dinah?"
"She's fine." Your knees nearly gave out. "She's with me."
You turned away from everyone.
"I picked her and Mia up as soon as the alerts started."
You pressed a hand against your forehead. "Okay."
"Do not take her anywhere."
"And if anything feels wrong—"
Her voice softened. "I've got her."
You swallowed. "Can I talk to her?"
There was movement on the other end. Then— "Mom?"
You closed your eyes. "Hi, baby."
The question nearly broke you. "I'm okay." "There was this weird emergency alert and Aunt Dinah showed up and Mrs. Carter said something happened downtown and—"
"Was it..." Aurora hesitated. "...your thing?"
Your heart stopped. You glanced over your shoulder. The room was occupied. Bruce. Barry. J'onn. Hal. All of them within earshot. You lowered your voice. "I don't know yet."
"Mia's mom won't let us go outside."
"But we can see stuff floating on TikTok."
"That's your concern right now?"
She groaned. Despite everything, you smiled. "Listen to Aunt Dinah."
Your throat tightened. "I will."
The call ended. You stood there for another second. Breathed. Then turned around. Hal was staring at you. Not suspiciously. Not yet. Just... Curiously. You slipped your phone into your pocket. "What?"
His expression changed. "Nothing." You knew Hal. Or you had. That wasn't nothing. But Bruce spoke before either of you could continue. "The pattern has changed."
The hologram shifted. More anchors illuminated. One. Two. Four. Seven. All at once. Your attention snapped back to the mission. "Why are they activating simultaneously?"
Hal approached the table. His ring scanned the projection. "They aren't."
"They're powering up." A low vibration moved through the Watchtower. You felt it beneath your feet. Then another.
Your eyes widened. "Bruce."
"No." You placed your palm against the table. "That's not the station." The vibration deepened. Something invisible moved through you. A pull. Distant. Immense. Every instinct you'd buried for nine years screamed at once. "Everybody hold onto something."
The Watchtower lurched. Gravity disappeared. Barry floated upward. Chairs lifted. Tablets scattered toward the ceiling. Hal's ring flared. Bruce caught the edge of the console. You threw both hands outward. Your powers exploded through the room. Everything stopped. Barry hovered three feet above the floor. Papers froze midair. Chairs hung motionless. Your jaw clenched. "Little help?"
Green light flooded the room. Hal reinforced your field. Again. Without asking. Without hesitation. Your eyes met. Later. You'd deal with that later. "Watchtower gravity systems?" Bruce demanded. Operational.
Your stomach dropped. "It's not us."
Hal looked toward the window. Outside... Earth had shifted. Barely. Almost imperceptibly. But you felt it. Every gravitational line around the planet strained toward something beyond the moon. Your blood went cold. "It's here."
Silence. Bruce looked at you. "What's here?"
You stared into the darkness beyond Earth. "I don't know." Then the stars disappeared. Not all of them. Just a section. A massive section of space beyond the moon went black. Something was blocking them. Something enormous. Barry slowly lowered toward the floor as your field stabilized. "...Please tell me that's a cloud."
"I was trying optimism again."
Hal stepped beside you. His ring began scanning. For several seconds, it returned nothing. Then— His face changed. "What?" You looked at him. "Hal."
He didn't answer. "What is it?" His eyes remained fixed on the ring. When he finally looked up... He looked afraid. "I know what the anchors were built for."
The room went silent. Bruce stepped forward. "What?"
Hal stared through the window. "Not what." His jaw tightened. "Who."
Twenty minutes later, you stood alone in the observation deck. Or you thought you were alone. You'd needed five minutes. Five minutes without alarms. Without Hal. Without Batman. Without the entire planet apparently attempting to tear itself apart. Mostly... You needed Aurora. You pulled out your phone. Three missed messages.
AURORA: aunt dinah says stop worrying
AURORA: also mia's mom said i can stay the night if you need to keep doing superhero stuff
YOU: I thought this morning it was classified government work.
The response came almost immediately.
YOU: We'll talk when I get home.
AURORA: are you coming home tonight?
Your fingers stopped. You stared at the question. You didn't know. That was the worst part. For nine years, you'd built your entire life around always knowing. School pickup. Dinner. Homework. Bedtime. Tomorrow morning. You always came home. Now... You looked through the observation window. At the darkness swallowing the stars. You typed. Deleted it. Typed again.
YOU: I'm going to try my hardest.
Aurora responded with a heart. You pressed the phone against your chest. "She's important to you." Your eyes closed. Of course. You didn't turn.
"Do you make a habit of sneaking up on people now?"
Hal stopped somewhere behind you. "I wasn't trying to."
Silence. You looked down at your phone. You should leave. Instead, you stayed. "So..." Hal's voice was cautious. "The kid."
Every muscle in your body tightened. You slowly turned. “What about her?"
He immediately lifted his hands. "Nothing."
"Then why are you asking?"
"I've never seen you scared like that."
You almost laughed. You'd been terrified plenty of times over the last nine years. He simply hadn't been there to see it. "She's someone I care about."
You waited. He didn't ask anything else. Somehow that made it worse. Then his eyes dropped. To your phone. The screen had gone dark. Thank God. "Your life..." He hesitated. "Is it good?"
The question caught you completely off guard. "What?"
"Your life." He swallowed. "Are you happy?"
You stared at him. Nine years ago, that question would've had a complicated answer. Now? "Yes." No hesitation. Hal's face softened. Not hurt. Relieved. That surprised you.
Your brow furrowed. "Good?"
"Yeah." A sad smile touched his mouth. "I wanted you to be."
Something inside your chest twisted. "You don't get credit for that."
"You leaving didn't give me this life."
"I know." His voice was quiet. "You did."
Your anger faltered. Damn him. You looked away. "I have people who depend on me now."
"I can't..." You stopped. Can't what? Tell him? Let him near Aurora? Risk losing the life you'd built? You didn't know. So you shook your head. "We should go back."
Hal stepped aside. He didn't stop you. You reached the doorway. Then— "I'm glad you're happy."
You froze. Didn't turn. And for some reason, those four words hurt more than I loved you. Because he meant them. You walked away.
Behind you, Hal stayed at the window. Neither of you noticed that your phone had lit up again in your hand. A new message from Dinah. A photograph. Aurora curled up beneath a blanket on Mia's couch, fast asleep. And beneath it—
DINAH: She's safe. Save the world. Then come home.
You looked at the picture. Your daughter had Hal's nose. His dark hair. His stubborn little chin. And, even in sleep... There was something unmistakably Jordan about her. You locked the screen. Not yet. Hal couldn't know yet. Because once he did... There would be no putting your two worlds back apart.
The thing beyond the moon had a name. Unfortunately, Hal refused to say it. You stood around the briefing table again, arms crossed, watching him pace. "Jordan." He ignored you. "Hal."
Nothing. You looked at Barry. Barry shrugged. "He's been doing that for six minutes."
"I asked if he wanted a snack."
"Why would he want a snack?"
You stared at him. Barry slowly lowered the granola bar in his hand. "Fine."
Bruce had apparently reached his limit too. "Jordan."
Hal stopped. His hands rested against the edge of the table. For several seconds, he stared down at the holographic image. Then—
Hal nodded. "That's the closest translation."
"Translation from what?" J'onn asked.
Bruce's eyes narrowed. "You said the anchors predate the Corps."
"Then how do you know about it?"
Hal hesitated. "I've seen them before."
You straightened. "The anchors?"
"No." His eyes lifted. "The records." The hologram changed. Ancient symbols appeared. "The Guardians kept archives from civilizations that existed before the Corps."
Barry leaned forward. "How far before?"
You looked at him. "Not cool."
Hal continued. "The Null isn't exactly a person."
"That's reassuring," you muttered.
"It's..." He struggled for the words. "Conscious gravity."
You stared at him. "I'm sorry?"
Hal looked at you. "A living gravitational singularity."
Your eyebrows rose. "That's not possible."
"Neither are half the people in this room."
Barry raised a hand. "Technically—"
He lowered it. Hal expanded the image. "The records describe something that moves from system to system consuming gravitational energy."
Your stomach sank. "Planets. Stars. Black holes?"
Hal nodded. "Everything."
Clark stared toward the observation window. "And it's coming here."
"No." Hal's expression darkened. "It's already here."
Silence. You looked toward Earth. Aurora. Your stomach twisted. "How do we stop it?"
Hal didn't answer. Bruce did. "We find out what the anchors were designed to do."
Three hours. That was how long you spent working. Three hours of calculations. Ancient Oan translations. Gravitational models. Three hours during which you drank four cups of coffee and ate approximately half a protein bar Barry shoved into your hand. Your body remembered this too. The exhaustion. The adrenaline. The strange way hours disappeared when the entire world depended on you finding an answer. You'd forgotten how easy it was to lose yourself in it. "That's wrong."
You pointed at his display. "Your mass estimate."
"My ring can calculate the mass of a star from six light-years away."
"Congratulations." You reached across him. "It's still wrong."
Hal moved slightly to give you access. Your shoulders brushed. You froze. He did too. Neither moved. Then you pulled away. Quickly. "Look." You expanded the projection. "If the Null had that much mass, we'd already be dead."
"I'm serious." You adjusted the model. "The anchors aren't fighting its entire gravitational field."
Hal frowned. "They're redirecting it."
His eyes widened. "Into themselves."
You nodded. "Like lightning rods."
Hal stared at the simulation. Then at you. A slow smile appeared. "There she is."
Your chest tightened. "Don't."
His smile faded. "Sorry."
You looked away. Damn it.
The solution was horrifyingly simple. The anchors needed power. Lots of it. Enough gravitational energy to redirect something capable of consuming planets. Which meant— "You."
Bruce looked at you. You stared back.
"You could recharge them."
"That isn't what I said."
"You said they require gravitational energy."
"And you manipulate gravity."
Hal stepped forward. "No."
Everyone looked at him. Bruce's expression hardened. "No?"
"This may be our best option."
Your eyebrows rose. "Excuse me?"
Hal didn't look at you. "She hasn't operated at this level in nine years."
Your annoyance flared immediately. "Okay."
"I'm saying we don't know what that much energy will do to you."
"You knew them nine years ago."
You went still. Hal realized his mistake immediately. "That's not what I meant."
You laughed bitterly. "Apparently everyone here is very concerned about what nine years has done to me."
"Enough." Bruce's voice cut through the argument.
"We're running simulations before anyone does anything."
You stared at Hal. He stared back. Then you walked out.
"Void." You kept walking. "Wait."
Hal caught up. He didn't touch you. Smart man. You rounded the corner. "I'm trying to keep you alive."
You stopped. Turned. "I don't need you to."
"Because you've spent all day acting like I'm still the woman you left behind." Hal flinched. Good. "You don't know what I can handle."
"I know what your powers do to you."
"You knew." Your voice echoed down the empty corridor. "You knew me nine years ago."
"No, I don't think you do."
You stepped closer. "You keep looking at me like I'm the same person who stood outside that bedroom door asking you to stay." Hal's face changed. "Like if you say the right thing, you'll find her somewhere underneath all of this."
"No." His voice broke slightly. "I know she's gone." That stopped you. Hal swallowed. "I know I did that." Some of the anger left you. Not enough. "I don't want you dead." He looked exhausted. "I don't think that's unreasonable."
You folded your arms. "You didn't seem particularly worried about that when you disappeared."
"I thought you'd be safer without me."
You laughed. "Of course you did."
"I know how stupid it sounds."
"It doesn't sound stupid." You shook your head. "It sounds selfish." Hal stared at you. "You decided for me."
"You decided I was better off without you."
"You decided what I could handle."
"And you're doing it again."
Silence. That landed. Hal looked down. "...You're right."
You hadn't expected that. "What?"
He rubbed a hand over his face. "I don't know how to do this."
"See you." Your anger faltered. Hal looked at you. "You're standing here and part of my brain keeps telling me no time has passed." His voice softened. "Then I look at you and..." He shook his head. "You're different."
"I watched you become Parallax."
Hal froze. There it was. The thing neither of you had said. "I watched Coast City." His jaw tightened. "I watched the Corps fall." You swallowed. "I watched you die." Hal closed his eyes. "And then I watched you come back."
His eyes opened. "From where?"
"Everywhere." You laughed bitterly. "News reports. League updates. Whatever Dinah couldn't hide from me."
"Of course I knew." Your voice cracked. "You think I could just stop caring whether you were alive?"
Hal stared at you. "You never..."
"Called?" You smiled sadly. "No."
That almost made you angry again. "Because you left me."
"And what was I supposed to do?" You demanded. "Show up at your funeral and explain to everyone that the man in the coffin was the person who disappeared after telling me we'd figure things out together?"
Hal's face crumpled. You didn't stop. "And when you came back?" Your throat tightened. "I had a life." His eyes searched yours. "A whole life, Hal." There. Dangerously close. He didn't understand. Not yet. "You weren't the only person things happened to."
Hal stared at you. "I know."
You shook your head. "You don't."
He took a step closer. "Then tell me." Your heart stopped. "Tell me what happened." You couldn't. God. For one second, you almost did. I found out I was pregnant. I had your daughter. Her name is Aurora. She's nine. She has your eyes. Instead—
Your communicator sounded. You stepped back. Saved by the apocalypse. "Void." Bruce.
"We have another anomaly."
Your stomach dropped. "Where?"
Your blood ran cold. "I'm coming." You ended the transmission. Hal was already moving.
The Watchtower was chaos. Thirty-two anomalies became forty-seven within minutes. Earth glowed red across the holographic display. Gravity fluctuated wildly. Tokyo. London. Gotham. Metropolis. Central City. Coast City. And Portland. Again. Your heart stopped. "Dinah." You called immediately. No answer. "Come on."
Again. Nothing. Your breathing quickened. Hal noticed. "What's wrong?"
Nothing. You called Aurora. Straight to voicemail. "No." Your hands started shaking. No.
Barry appeared beside you. "What's happening?"
"Who?" You didn't answer. You tried Dinah again. Nothing.
Hal stepped closer. "Who are you trying to call?"
"Not now." Your powers flickered. The holographic display warped.
Bruce looked over. "Control it."
You weren't. Your heart hammered. Aurora. You opened the tracker on your phone. You'd put one in Aurora's backpack years ago. She hated it. You didn't care. Loading. Loading. Loading. Then— A location appeared. Your knees almost gave out. Moving. Her tracker was moving. Fast. Far too fast for a car. "What the hell?"
Then your communicator activated. Dinah. You answered so quickly you nearly dropped it. "Dinah!"
Your eyes closed. "Jesus Christ."
Your eyes opened. Something in Dinah's voice made your blood run cold. "What happened?"
"The anomaly hit Mia's neighborhood."
Your grip tightened. "Is she hurt?"
Your stomach dropped. "Mia?"
You breathed. Okay. Everyone alive. Everything else could be replaced. "Where are you?"
Dinah hesitated. You looked at the tracker again. Moving. Up. Your eyes widened. "Dinah."
"Earth isn't safe right now." Your heart stopped.
"Where else am I supposed to take her?"
"Everywhere is experiencing anomalies."
You looked toward Earth. Red. Almost everywhere. "Take her to the bunker."
"Gravity fluctuations are affecting underground structures too."
You already knew what she was going to say. Your stomach dropped. "Dinah."
Hal glanced toward you. You turned away from him. "You can't bring her here."
"I don't have another option."
"She's already on the ship.”
Your eyes closed. "Goddamn it."
You pressed your fingers against your forehead. Fifteen minutes. Nine years. And you had fifteen minutes. "Mom?"
Your heart stopped. Aurora. Dinah must have put you on speaker. "Hi." Your voice changed immediately. Hal noticed. You didn't care. "Are you okay?"
"Mrs. Carter's house is kinda broken."
Despite everything, you almost laughed. "Kinda?"
"The kitchen wall fell off."
"But Aunt Dinah caught it." Of course she did.
"Aunt Dinah says we're coming to you."
Your eyes closed. "Yeah."
"Am I..." Aurora hesitated. "...going to the Watchtower?"
You could hear the excitement creeping into her voice. Even now. Nine years old. Your daughter. Hal's daughter. "Yes."
A pause. "Can I meet Superman?"
You looked across the room. Clark was currently holding an entire section of Earth's atmosphere together. "We'll see."
Bruce looked at you. You ignored him.
"Let's survive the trip first."
The call ended. You slowly lowered your hand. The room felt too quiet. It wasn't. Alarms were blaring. People were talking.
Computers were shouting warnings. But all you could hear was your own heartbeat. Fifteen minutes. You turned. Hal stood several feet away. Watching you. His expression was strange. Not suspicious. Not exactly. Just curious. "Who—"
"No." He stopped. "Don't." You walked past him. "Not now."
Dinah found you in the docking bay fourteen minutes later. You were pacing. She stepped through the airlock first. You immediately stopped. "She's okay."
"Fair." Then movement appeared behind her. Small. A backpack. Purple sneakers. Messy dark hair. Your heart stopped. Aurora stepped through the airlock. Her eyes were enormous. She looked around. "Whoa." You forgot everything. You crossed the room. "Mom!"
She ran. You caught her. Your arms wrapped around her so tightly she squeaked. "Mom."
"Sorry." You loosened your grip. Then immediately started checking her. Face. Arms. Hands. "Are you hurt?"
You pulled her against you again. Aurora sighed. Then hugged you back. "I'm okay."
You kissed her hair. "I know."
For several seconds... Nothing else mattered. Not the Null. Not Hal. Not the League. Nothing. Just Aurora. Then she pulled back. Her eyes moved over your uniform. A grin slowly spread across her face. "Oh my God."
"This is so much better than the textbook picture."
Dinah laughed. You glared at her. "You showed her?"
"It's a public textbook."
Aurora touched the silver detailing on your sleeve. "So you're actually doing superhero stuff?"
You smiled despite yourself. "Come here." You kissed her forehead. Again. Because you could. Because she was here. Safe. "You're staying with Dinah."
"Can I at least look around?"
She sighed dramatically. "Fine."
Every muscle in your body froze. Dinah's face changed. Aurora looked past you. You didn't have to turn. You knew. Of course. Because apparently the universe hated you. Footsteps approached. Hal.
You slowly stood. Aurora remained beside you. Her hand slipped naturally into yours. Hal rounded the corner. And stopped. His eyes found you first. Then Dinah. Then—
You felt your daughter's fingers tighten around yours. Hal stared. For one second, there was nothing. No recognition. Just confusion. Then Aurora looked up at you. "Mom?"
Hal's face changed. His eyes snapped toward you. Then back to her. Aurora stared curiously at him. And God. Standing there... It was worse than you'd imagined. The resemblance. You'd spent nine years seeing Hal in pieces. A smile. A gesture. The tilt of Aurora's head. But with them in the same room? There was no hiding it. Same dark hair. Same green eyes. Same stubborn line of the jaw. Even the way Aurora stood— Weight shifted slightly onto one leg. Exactly like him. Hal went completely still. Aurora whispered— "Is that Green Lantern?"
You couldn't speak. Dinah couldn't either. Hal's eyes never left Aurora. Something was happening behind them. Confusion. Recognition. Calculation. No. Not yet. Please. Not here. Aurora looked at him. Then at you. Then back at him. "Hi."
Aurora smiled. That smile. His smile. Hal's face drained of color. Your heart stopped. His eyes snapped to yours. You knew immediately. He didn't know. Not yet. But for the first time... Hal Jordan was beginning to wonder.
Hal didn't move. Neither did you. Aurora, unfortunately, had never possessed the ability to tolerate an awkward silence. She looked between the two of you. Then back at Hal. "You're staring."
Your eyes closed. Of course. "Aurora."
"What?" She looked up at you. "He is."
Hal blinked as though she'd snapped him out of a trance. "Sorry."
Aurora shrugged. "It's okay." Then she smiled. "I'm Aurora."
You felt Dinah go still beside you. Hal's expression changed. Not dramatically. Just enough. Aurora. The name landed. You watched him recognize it. Not understand. Not yet. But recognize. His eyes found yours. You looked away.
That startled him. "You do?"
Aurora nodded. "You're Green Lantern." A pause. "One of them."
Hal actually laughed. Quietly. "Yeah."
He rubbed the back of his neck. "One of them."
You nearly screamed. Because Aurora did that too. Whenever she was nervous. Whenever she got caught doing something she wasn't supposed to. Same movement. Same slight tilt of the head. You'd never noticed how exact it was until now. Hal seemed to notice too. His hand dropped. Aurora looked at his ring. "Can you really make anything with that?"
"Anything I can imagine."
Her eyes widened. "Can you make a dragon?"
Dinah made a choking noise beside you.
Hal looked offended. "Less cool?"
Hal looked at you. For half a second, his expression said exactly what it would've said nine years ago. Are you hearing this?
You almost responded. Almost. Then you remembered. Your hand tightened around Aurora's. "We need to go."
"Dinah's going to take you somewhere safe."
"I thought the Watchtower was safe."
"Then why do I have to go somewhere else?"
"Because there's an emergency."
She looked toward Hal. "He's not going somewhere else."
Aurora sighed. "Adults are weird."
Hal smiled faintly. "Agreed."
You shot him a look. "Don't encourage her."
The words escaped before you could stop them. Hal froze. So did you. Because it sounded so— Normal. Domestic. Like something said between two people who'd been raising a child together for years. Aurora didn't notice. Dinah did. Her eyes briefly closed. You wanted the floor to open beneath you. "Come on." You gently tugged Aurora toward the corridor. "Dinah will show you where you're staying."
"Can I see the observation deck?"
"Can I meet Wonder Woman?"
Aurora frowned. "You really don't like Batman."
"You complain about him a lot."
Behind you, Dinah made another suspicious coughing sound. You kept walking. Then Aurora stopped. You looked down. She was looking back. At Hal. He hadn't moved. Still standing in the middle of the docking bay. Still watching. Aurora raised her hand. "Bye, Green Lantern."
Hal stared at her. Then slowly raised his own. "...Bye, Aurora." Something about the way he said her name made your chest hurt.
You turned away. "Come on." And this time, you didn't look back.
Dinah waited until Aurora was occupied. The Watchtower had family quarters now. Apparently the League had finally accepted that superheroes occasionally reproduced. You didn't know whether to laugh or cry at the irony. Aurora sat cross-legged on the bed, completely absorbed in the view of Earth outside the window. You stood in the doorway with Dinah. "He's going to figure it out."
You glared at her. "Helpful."
Dinah gave you a look. "She looks like both of you."
You crossed your arms. "He's seen her for thirty seconds."
Dinah almost smiled. You didn't. Her expression softened. "Hey."
"You knew this was going to happen eventually."
You lowered your voice. "I spent nine years making sure it didn't."
Dinah stopped. You looked toward your daughter. Aurora had pressed both palms against the observation window. "Mom!"
You immediately straightened. "What?"
"That's the Pacific Ocean."
"Oh." You smiled. Then looked back at Dinah. Your voice dropped again. "I know what she deserves."
"I've thought about this every day since she was born."
You looked toward Aurora again. "I just..."
Your throat tightened. "I don't know what happens after he knows." That was the truth. You'd survived everything else. Pregnancy. Birth. Sleepless nights. First steps. First words. Daycare. Kindergarten. Nine birthdays. You knew how to be Aurora's mother. You knew how your life worked. Hal knowing? Hal wanting to be involved? Hal deciding he couldn't be? You didn't know how to survive any of those possibilities without Aurora getting hurt. Dinah touched your arm. "You don't have to figure all of it out tonight."
You laughed weakly. "Tell him that."
"You think he'll listen?"
"No." That actually made you smile. Then your communicator sounded. Bruce. Of course. You sighed. "I have to go."
You looked at Dinah. "Don't let her wander."
"She knows how to pick basic locks."
Dinah stared at you. "...Why?"
"And she knows Clark is Superman."
Dinah's mouth fell open. "What?"
"Apparently the glasses didn't fool her."
"Again." You pointed at her. "Do not encourage her."
Dinah smiled. "Go save the world."
You looked toward Aurora. "Baby?" She turned. "I have to go."
Her excitement faded. "Oh."
"I'll come back as soon as I can."
You hesitated. Then walked over. You crouched in front of her. "I promise I'll try."
Aurora nodded. You kissed her forehead. "Love you."
You stood. Dinah caught your eye. Go. So you went.
Hal was waiting outside. You nearly walked straight into him. You stopped. He stepped backward. "Sorry."
Your stomach sank. Of course he was. "Shouldn't you be somewhere?"
You moved around him. "How old is she?"
Your feet stopped. There it was. You closed your eyes. Behind you, Hal said nothing else. You could lie. Nine. Such a small number. Such a devastating one. You turned. "Why?"
Hal's face was unreadable. Almost. You knew him too well for almost. His eyes were terrified. "I'm asking."
"Because it's none of your business."
His jaw tightened. "Maybe."
"Then tell me I'm wrong."
Your heart slammed against your ribs. "Wrong about what?"
Hal stared at you. For several seconds, he couldn't seem to make himself say it. Then— "She has my eyes."
Your entire body went cold. "No."
"Lots of people have green eyes."
"She does that thing with her hand."
He mimicked it without realizing. Thumb brushing against the side of his index finger. Your stomach dropped. Aurora did that constantly. You hadn't even realized it came from him. "Stop."
His voice broke slightly. "Aurora."
You looked away. Hal stepped closer. "That night."
"Of course I remember." The words came out too quickly.
His face changed. You cursed yourself. "You named her after—"
"Please." One word. Barely audible. You looked at him. Really looked. And suddenly he wasn't Green Lantern. He wasn't Parallax. He wasn't the man who'd died and returned. He was Hal. The man who had once fallen asleep with his arm around your waist. The man who disappeared before you woke up. The man who had no idea that, weeks later, you'd stared at two pink lines until Dinah found you sitting on the bathroom floor. "Nine."
Hal stopped breathing. The corridor went completely silent. You watched the number hit him. Nine. His lips parted. Nothing came out. You could practically see him calculating. Nine years since he'd left. Nine years since you'd disappeared. Nine years— "When?" His voice barely existed. "What? When's her birthday?"
You shook your head. "No."
"You know why." Your throat tightened. Hal stepped closer. "Tell me I'm wrong." You couldn't. "Tell me."
His eyes were wet now. You'd seen Hal Jordan afraid. You'd seen him injured. Furious. Broken. You'd never seen him look like this. "Is she..." He couldn't finish. You closed your eyes. There was no going back. Not anymore.
"Yes."Silence. You opened your eyes. Hal stared. You watched his face crumble.
You hated him for making you say it. Maybe he needed to hear the words. Maybe you needed to finally say them. "She's yours."
Hal stumbled backward. Actually stumbled. His shoulder hit the wall. He didn't seem to notice. His eyes stayed on you. "No."
Your chest tightened. "Hal—"
"No, I don't mean—" He dragged a hand over his face. "I mean..." He couldn't breathe. "I have a..." He looked toward the door behind you. Toward the room where Aurora sat looking at Earth. His daughter. "I have a daughter?"
Hal stared at the door. "Nine?"
His eyes closed. You watched the realization unfold. Not just that she existed. Everything he'd missed. Pregnancy. Birth. First steps. First words. Nine birthdays. Nine Christmases. Nine years. "Oh my God." He covered his mouth. You didn't know what to do. Once, you would've touched him. You would've wrapped your arms around him. You would've told him everything was going to be okay. You weren't that person anymore. So you stood there. Hal looked at you. "Did you know when I left?"
There was no accusation in his voice. Only devastation. "No." His eyes closed again. "I found out afterward."
He flinched. You continued quietly. "I tried contacting you."
His eyes snapped open. "What?"
"I called." Your throat tightened. "I messaged you. I contacted the Corps. I asked the League."
Hal stared at you. "No one knew where you were."
His face crumpled. You looked away. "I had other things to worry about."
"The pregnancy." You nodded. "Was it..." He swallowed.
The question caught you off guard. "What?"
Your anger returned. Not explosively. Quietly. "No."Hal went still. "No, Hal." You looked at him. "I wasn't okay." His eyes filled. "I was twenty-three and pregnant and the person I loved had disappeared." You wrapped your arms around yourself. "I was terrified."
A tiny bit of relief crossed his face. "Good."
"She went to appointments." His relief disappeared. "She helped me move." You continued. "She assembled the crib because I couldn't figure out the instructions." A broken laugh escaped you. "She drove me to the hospital." Hal's eyes closed. "She held my hand when Aurora was born."
Every word hurt him. You could see it. You weren't saying them to hurt him. They were simply true. "And you..." His voice cracked. "You did all of that without me."
You stared at him. "I didn't have a choice."
Hal looked toward the door again. His daughter was less than twenty feet away. His entire world had changed in the span of five minutes. “Does she know?"
You knew exactly what he meant. "No."
His eyes returned to yours. "She doesn't know who her father is?"
Your expression hardened. "Because I didn't know what to tell her."
Your voice sharpened. "That her father disappeared before I knew she existed?" Hal flinched. "That he became Parallax?"
You lowered your voice. "That he died?" His face went pale. "That he came back?" You shook your head. "Which truth, Hal?" He couldn't answer. "She knows I loved her father." His eyes lifted. That surprised him. You continued quietly. "She knows he wasn't there."
"Does she think I abandoned her?"
The answer came immediately. Hal stared at you. "I would never do that to her." His throat moved. "She doesn't know enough to hate you."
"I don't want her to hate me."
Something about the desperation in his voice broke through your anger. You looked away. "I don't either." Silence.
You closed your eyes. Of course. "Hal."
"I know." His words rushed out. "I know I don't have the right to ask."
"She just had her entire house nearly collapse around her. She's on a space station during a planetary emergency."
"And you want me to walk in there and tell her that a man she's known for thirty seconds is her father?"
Hal looked toward the door. "No."
"No." He shook his head. "You're right." That surprised you. "I don't want to do that to her." His voice softened. "I just..." He looked wrecked. "I want to see her."
You stepped closer. "You don't." Hal looked at you. "You don't get to walk into her life because you found out she exists."
"You don't get to decide what happens next."
You stared at him. He meant it. At least right now. You exhaled. "We finish the mission."
"And afterward..." You stopped. Because you didn't know. Afterward was terrifying. Hal waited. You looked toward the door. Toward Aurora. Your daughter. His daughter. "...we talk."
Hal's breath caught. It wasn't forgiveness. It wasn't permission. But it wasn't no.
You turned to leave. "Wait." You stopped. Hal's voice was barely above a whisper. "Her name." You looked back. He swallowed. "Aurora."
You nodded. A tear slipped down his cheek. He laughed quietly, almost disbelieving. "After the lights."
Your throat tightened. "Yeah."
Hal closed his eyes. For a moment, he was twenty-three again too. Standing beside you above Earth while green and violet light danced across the atmosphere. Then he looked toward the door where his nine-year-old daughter waited. "That's a beautiful name."
Despite everything, despite nine years, despite the anger, despite the hurt—you smiled. "She likes it."
Hal smiled too. Small. Broken. Hopeful. And then a voice came from behind the door. "Mom?"
Both of you froze. The door slid open. Aurora stood there. She looked at you. Then Hal. Then back at you. Her eyebrows pulled together. "Why are you crying?"
You immediately wiped beneath your eyes. "I'm not."
Aurora stared. "You're really bad at lying."
Hal made a sound suspiciously close to a laugh. Aurora looked at him. Then frowned. "He's crying too."
Hal quickly wiped his face. "No, I'm not."
Aurora stared at him. Then at you. And for the first time... Her expression changed. Not understanding. Not yet. But curiosity. Because her mother was standing in a hallway crying with Green Lantern. Green Lantern was staring at her like she was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen. And Aurora was far too smart not to realize that something was going on. She folded her arms. "Okay."
Your stomach dropped. "Okay what?"
Aurora looked between the two of you. "You guys are being weird."
Hal looked at you. You looked at him. And somewhere beneath all the fear and uncertainty, one thought occurred to both of you at exactly the same time. Oh, we are so screwed.
Taglist: @jupitersmoon167
